THE 


F°RT  DEARBORN  ]Vi  ASS  ACRE 


ft  Romantic  and  Grapliic  ttistoru  of 


Corporal  John  Simmons  and  His  Brave  Wife. 


N.  SIMMONS,  M.  D., 

LAWRENCE,  KANSAS. 

1896. 


APR 


4-52 


i 

3  H 

S  c 

S  s 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES 


OF    THE 


FORT  DEARBORN   MASSACRE 


ROMANTIC  AND  TRAGIC  HISTORY 


-OF- 


CORPORAL  JOHN  SIMMONS  AND  HIS  HEROIC  WIFE, 


THE  FIRST    WHITE  CHILD  BORN    IN    CHICAGO.       THE    LAST    SURVIVOR 

OF  THE  HORRID  BUTCHERY.       A    FULL    AND    TRUE    RECITAL 

OF  MARVELOUS  FORTITUDE,    MATCHLESS  COURAGE 

AND  TERRIBLE  SUFFERINGS  DURING  THE 

BATTLE,    THE    MARCH,     AND  IN 

CAPTIVITY. 


BY  N.   SIMMONS,    M.   D. 


LAWRENCE,  KANSAS: 
JOURNAL,  PUBLISHING  COMPANY, 


COPYRIGHT,   1896. 

BY 

N.   SIMMONS,   M.   D. 


PREFACE. 


Much  of  the  material  for  this  narrative  has  been 
obtained  from  Mrs.  Simmons,  an  eye  witness,  and  from 
her  daughter,  who  was  her  companion  in  captivity,  and 
with  whom  she  resided  for  many  years.  Many  histories 
have  been  consulted,  but  they  are  most  unsatisfactory  in 
their  treatment  of  the  details  of  the  Fort  Dearborn 
massacre,  while  the  only  reference  to  John  Simmons  on 
file  in  the  department  at  Washington  is  that  he  drew 
$60  for  his  first  year's  service  as  a  soldier. 

By  the  kind  courtesy  of  E.  G.  Mason,  Esq.,  President 
of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  his  masterly  address, 
delivered  at  the  unveiling  of  the  Pullman  Memorial 
Monument  on  the  22d  of  June,  1893,  is  inserted.  In 
behalf  of  the  large  number  of  relatives  and  friends  of  the 
principal  parties  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  this 
little  book,  I  desire  to  express  here  their  grateful  ac- 
knowledgments to  George  M.  Pullman,  the  donor  of  the 
beautiful  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  slain  of  the 
massacre,  and  all  associated  with  him  in  its  conception 
and  execution,  especially  E.  G.  Mason,  historian,  and 
Carl  Rorhl-Smith,  sculptor  of  the  monument. 

My  apology  for  this  intrusion  into  the  already  over- 
wrought field  of  authorship  is  a  desire  to  do  justice  to 
the  memory  of  a  brave  soldier  and  his  devoted  wife,  and 
also  to  add  a  few  tacts  to  the  brief  history  of  the  Fort 
Dearborn  massacre. 


4  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

The  heroines  and  heroes  of  that  awful  day,  whose 
blood  sank  into  the  sand  dunes  by  the  lake,  or  who 
experienced  in  captivity,  an  even  more  dreadful  fate,  are 
almost  forgotten,  but  it  may  be  interesting  to  know  that 
the  butchers  of  Fort  Dearborn  and  their  descendents 
have  annually  received  many  thousands  of  dollars  from 
the  United  States  government  for  their  support. 

The  name  of  the  ancestors  of  John  Simmons  in 
Switzerland  was  Simons,  the  additional  letter  being  first 
employed  after  their  arrival  in  America. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE. 


CONTKNTS. 


PAGE. 
PREFACE 3 

CHAPTER  I. 
A  FORTUNATE  MEETING  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 9 

CHAPTER  II. 
MARRIED  AND  ENLISTED 13 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  STORM  GATHERING 15 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  TOUR  THROUGH  THE  WILDERNESS 20 

CHAPTER  V. 
LIFE  AT  FORT  DEARBORN 25 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  ORDER  To  EVACUATE  THE  FORT 28 

CHAPTER  VII. 
PREPARING  TO  EVACUATE  THE  FORT 31 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  BATTLE  AND  MASSACRE. 35 


O  HEROES  AND    HEROINES 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CAPTIVITY  AND  RANSOM 52 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  MASSACRE  OF  NEIGHBORS  HER  ONLY 

SISTER  AMONG  THEM 61 

CHAPTER  XI.  ' 
AT  REST 67 

CHAPTER  XII. 
AWAITING  THE  END 69 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    POTTAWATOMIE    TRIBE..  ,.J2 


BLACK    PARTRIDGE    RETURNING    HIS    MEDAL. 


N.  SIMMONS,  M.   D. 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES  OF  THE 
FORT  DEARBORN  MASSACRE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


A  FORTUNATE  MEETING  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

One  bright  evening  in  the  early  springtime  of  1801 
two  wagon  trains  entered  simultaneously  a  beautiful 
grove  on  the  banks  of  a  limpid  stream  in  eastern  Ohio. 
The  leaders  of  these  trains  at  once  discovered  in  each 
other  friends  and  associates  of  boyhood  days  in  the  far 
away  land  of  their  nativity — charming  Switzerland.  In 
early  manhood  they  had  emigrated  to  America  and  with- 
out prearrangement  become  neighbors  in  Pennsylvania. 
Phillip  Simmons  with  his  wife  and  only  son,  John,  had 
settled  in  York  county  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  while 
later  on,  the  elder  Millhouse  located  on  the  opposite 
shore  of  the  same  stream  in  Lancaster  county.  This 
opportune  meeting  in  a  strange  land  which  both  had 
sought  for  new  homes  was  the  welcome  renewal  of  the 
former  acquaintance  in  dear  old  Switzerland.  This  close 
relation  of  comradeship  between  the  families  continued 
for  many  years  and  was  not  fully  dissolved  until  the 
year  1800,  when  Phillip  Simmons  and  his  wife  having 
passed  away  in  the  ripened  maturity  of  wholesome  lives, 


IO  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

John  Simmons  was  left  at  the  head  of  the  family,  his 
own  household  consisting  of  six  hardy  sons  and  four 
daughters.  To  provide  homes  for  this  large  family  he 
determined  to  move  to  West  Virginia.  A  short  resi- 
dence there  convinced  this  descendent  of  Alpine  moun- 
tains that  he  had  not  as  yet  found  a  satisfactory  abiding 
place.  The  bold  freeman  resolved  that  his  children 
should  not  live  under  the  blighting  influences  of  human 
slavery.  This  purpose  led  him  to  consider  seriously  the 
possibilities  of  obtaining  homes  on  a  soil  free  from  the 
hated  institution.  Fortunately,  at  that  time  one  of  the 
grandest  domains  on  earth  had  been  recently  dedicated 
to  freedom. 

The  ordinance  of  1787  forever  prohibited  slavery  in 
the  Northwest  Territory  lying  north  and  west  of  the 
Ohio  river.  The  resources  of  this  new  land  were  the 
subject  of  almost  fabulous  tales  of  its  wonderful  pro- 
ductiveness, the  mildness  of  its  climate,  the  beautiful 
streams  fed  by  springs  of  crystal  water,  gurgling  from 
the  rocks  and  hill  sides,  the  magnificent  forests  furnishing 
the  finest  timber  for  building  purposes  and  teeming  with 
wild  game,  the  native  grasses  furnishing  abundant  food 
for  horses  and  cattle,  both  winter  and  summer  while  the 
bountiful  mast  of  the  woods  maintained  the  numerous 
hogs  which  ranged  through  them. 

This  mere  outline  of  the  reports  reaching  the  older 
settlements  through  the  soldiers  returning  from  the  cam- 
paigns of  Harmer,  St.  Clair  and  Wayne  had  awakened 
the  spirit  of  adventure  in  these  home  seekers  to  the 
extent  that  they  determined  to  dare  the  dangers  arising 
from  the  hostility  of  the  savages  and  seek  their  fortunes 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  I  I 

in  the  new  Territory  of  Ohio.  Simultaneously  the 
persons  composing  a  train  headed  by  Mr.  Millhouse,  had 
arrived  at  the  same  conclusion,  hence  the  meeting  in  the 
wilderness.  In  the  early  morning  following,  the  leaders 
of  the  two  trains  determined  to  cast  their  fortunes 
together  on  the  remainder  of  the  journey  to  the  great 
Miami  valley  in  western  Ohio.  This  combination  of 
forces  enabled  the  train  to  present  a  somewhat  formid- 
able aspect  as  each  male  member  carried  a  rifle  on  his 
shoulder  or  strapped  to  his  back  and  a  serviceable  knife 
in  his  belt. 

In  the  Simmons  family,  John  Simmons,  Jr.,  a  lad  of 
but  twelve  years  of  age  was  the  favorite,  while  the 
youngest  daughter,  Susan  Millhouse,  was  most  tenderly 
regarded  by  the  other  party.  Though  their  parents  had 
been  friends  and  acquaintances,  first  in  Switzerland, 
then  again  in  Pennsylvania,  John  and  Susan  first  met  in 
camp,  as  above  described.  They  soon  became  fast 
friends  and  they  are  here  introduced  to  the  reader  as 
the  hero  and  heroine  of  this  narative. 

Though  John  Simmons  was  but  a  mere  boy,  he  was 
tall,  strong  and  alert  beyond  his  years.  With  his  trusty 
rifle  he  furnished  his  full  quota  of  game  for  the  combined 
train  and  performed  regular  guard  duty  besides.  Indeed 
his  general  usefulness  in  camp  and  on  the  journey 
rendered  him  a  favorite  with  all.  His  genial  spirit  and 
cheerful  bearing  was  especially  recognized  by  Susan 
Millhouse,  who  looked  upon  the  young  frontiersman  as 
her  ideal  of  the  coming  hero,  and  manifested  her 
partiality  for  his  presence  by  little  acts  of  favoritism. 
These  evidences  of  deep  esteem  for  John  from  the 


12  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

innocent  girl  were  noticed  with  chagrin  and  mortification 
by  a  young  man  who  had  lived  in  the  Millhouse  family 
for  some  time,  and  was  now  emigrating  with  them  to 
their  new  home.  Thomas  Rodgers  was  a  fine  athletic 
young  fellow,  but  quiet  and  earnest.  It  had  been  his 
dream  to  win  the  hand  of  the  youngest  daughter  of  the 
Millhouse  family,  and  it  was  with  forebodings  of  disap- 
pointment that  he  witnessed  the  growing  friendship 
between  John  Simmons  and  his  idol.  He  continued  to 
discharge  his  duties  faithfully  however,  and  with  the 
exception  of  a  disposition  to  ramble  alone  in  the  forest, 
seemingly  without  special  purpose,  and  to  isolate  himself 
from  society  generally,  no  indication  of  his  feeling  was 
manifest.  "  Tom,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  remained 
with  the  party  to  the  end  of  the  journey  and  with  the 
Millhouse  family  long  after  the  marriage  of  their  daugh- 
ter. With  this  simple  statement  Tom  will  be  dismissed 
for  the  present. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  13 


CHAPTER  II. 


MARRIED    AND    ENLISTED. 

After  months  of  weary  journeying  the  travelers  finally 
stood  upon  the  shore  of  the  great  Miami  river  near  the 
present  city  of  Dayton.  Few  settlers  had  preceded 
them  and  the  only  evidence  of  advancing  civilization 
were  the  few  military  trails  that  traversed  the  wilderness 
between  the  outposts  and  Indian  agencies.  After  a  time 
spent  in  exploring  lands  along  the  Miami  and  its  tribu- 
taries in  the  vicinity  of  Troy  and  Dayton,  John  Sim- 
mons, Sr. ,  selected  six  quarter  sections  of  fertile  land 
on  upper  Lost  Creek,  six  miles  east  of  Col.  Johnson's 
Indian  Agency  on  the  site  of  the  present  Piqua.  Having 
secured  titles  to  these  lands,  the  men  who  were  to 
occupy  them  proceeded  to  build  a  large  two-story  double 
log  house  at  a  central  point  near  a  fine  spring  of  ever 
flowing  cold  water.  The  walls  were  pierced  with  loop 
holes;  barricades  and  other  means  of  defense  were  pro- 
vided and  all  trees  and  bushes  within  gun-shot  distance 
of  the  blockhouse  were  removed.  It  was  consequently 
deemed  impossible  for  an  enemy  to  approach  without 
exposure  to  the  fire  of  the  riflemen  within.  Here  the 
family  resided  and  in  times  of  extreme  danger  the 
neighbors  collected.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  when  Mr. 
Millho'use  settled  near  the  Simmons  blockhouse,  John, 
Jr.,  and  Susan  were  delighted.  Perhaps  the  latter  had 


14  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

reminded  her  father  that  there  were  six  stalwart  riflemen 
in  the  Simmons  family,  whose  protection  would  be 
desirable  in  case  of  attack  by  the  savages,  and  possibly 
her  wishes  were  consulted  in  the  selection  of  the  home- 
stead site. 

Years  passed  amid  constant  dangers  from  the  time  the 
emigrants  crossed  the  Ohio  river.  At  that  time  John 
Simmons  was  but  twelve  years  old.  Young  as  he  was 
he  had  been  constantly  on  duty  and  every  moment  on 
the  alert  to  prevent  surprise  by  the  Indians  or  wild 
beasts.  It  was  not  strange  therefore  that  after  eight 
years  of  this  mode  of  life  he  embraced  the  first  opportu- 
nity that  presented  after  he  had  reached  the  age  and 
strength  required,  to  enlist  in  the  regular  army,  some  of 
the  most  important  duties  in  which  service  having  been 
learned  in  these  individual  experiences.  In  March, 
iSoS,  John  Simmons,  Jr.,  and  Susan  Millhouse  were 
married  and  in  the  latter  part  of  1809  David  Simmons 
was  born.  On  the  I4th  of  March,  1810,  John  Simmons 
enlisted  in  Captain  Whistler's  Company,  First  Regiment, 
United  States  Infantry,  afterward  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Nathan  Heald,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  at  Fort 
Dearborn  on  the  site  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  I  5 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE    STORM    GATHERING. 

A  brief  study  of  the  relation  existing  between  the 
whites  and  Indians  at  this  time  is  indispensable  to  a 
complete  understanding  of  the  perils  that  confronted 
the  border  settlers.  As  early  as  1788  a  settlement  was 
made  at  Marietta  and  another  at  Cincinnati.  The 
Indians  alarmed  at  these  and  other  aggressions  main- 
tained a  constant  warfare  on  the  border  pioneers,  often 
crossing  the  Ohio  river  into  Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and 
Kentucky  and  robbing  isolated  settlers  and  returning  to 
their  villages  in  the  interior.  To  stop  these  predatory 
incursions  and  bring  the  Indians  to  terms,  General 
Harmer  was  sent  with  an  army  of  1400  men  into  the 
country  of  the  hostiles.  Late  in  the  autumn  of  1790 
he  reached  and  destroyed  the  towns  of  the  Miami 
Indians  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  Fort  Wayne. 
The  complete  loss  of  their  habitations  and  possessions 
was  a  severe  blow  to  the  savages,  and  doubtless  rendered 
them  desperate.  To  complete  the  work  of  destruction 
Gen.  Harmer  divided  his  army  into  three  detachments 
which  were  cut  to  pieces  in  detail  by  the  Indians  under 
Little  Turtle  and  Captain  Wells. 

On  November  3d.  1791,  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  with 
1400  soldiers  encamped  at  Fort  Recovery,  near  the 
Ohio  and  Indiana  state  line.  On  the  following  morning 


1 6  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

at  early  dawn  the  savages  made  a  furious  attack  upon 
the  camp  which  resulted  in  fearful  slaughter  and  dis- 
astrous route  of  the  surprised  whites.  Closely  pursued 
the  remnant  of  the  army  fled  to  Fort  Washington. 
These  victories  emboldened  the  exhilarated  Indians  to 
repeated  depredations  and  acts  of  pillage  and  murder. 
In  August,  1 794,  Gen.  Wayne,  with  3000  troops  attacked 
the  hostiles  near  the  Maumee  Rapids  and  defeated  them 
with  great  slaughter.  Captain  Wells,  the  former  ally 
and  son-in-law  of  Little  Turtle  acted  as  captain  of 
scouts  to  Gen.  Wayne.  "Mad  Anthony"  took  no 
trivial  revenge  upon  the  defeated  enemy.  Their  fields 
and  villages  for  fifty  miles  around  were  destroyed. 
Completely  humbled  and  impoverished  the  late  defiant 
victors  sued  for  peace.  Accordingly  in  1795  a  treaty 
was  signed  between  Gen.  Wayne  and  many  of  the  Indian 
chiefs.  A  number  refused  to  recognize  the  treaty  how- 
ever, and  at  once  began  to  prepare  for  the  continuation 
of  hostilities.  It  was  during  this  enforced  peace,  late  in 
1 80 1  that  the  Simmons  settlement  was  located  in  the 
interior  of  western  Ohio  in  the  midst  of  Indian  villages. 
After  Wayne's  treaty  a  chain  of  forts  was  established  on 
the  border  extending  from  Cincinnati  west  to  Vincennes 
and  St.  Louis,  north  to  Greenville,  Fort  Recovery,  Fort 
Wayne,  Fort  Defiance,  Fort  Meigs,  Detroit,  Macinac, 
and  northwest  to  Fort  Dearborn  (Chicago).  Within 
this  chain  of  posts  were  scores  of  Indian  villages,  teem- 
ing with  old,  scarred  warriors  who  delighted  in  detailing 
the  wrongs  the  tribes  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the 
whites.  The  young  warriors  listened  intently  to  these 
tales,  and  burned  to  avenge  these  indignities  and  injuries 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  \J 

without  delay.  A  leader  alone  was  required  to  begin 
hostilities  at  once,  and  with  the  demand  came  the  man. 
The  leading  chiefs  of  the  powerful  Shawnee  tribe  were 
Tecumseh  and  his  twin  brother  Telskwatawa,  known  as 
"The  Prophet,"  two  eloquent  orators  and  able  leaders. 
Tecumseh  stirred  the  young  warriors  to  the  verge  of 
frenzy  with  his  firey  recital  of  the  outrages  inflicted  upon 
the  Indians  by  the  whites,  while  the  Prophet  aroused  the 
strong  religious  and  superstitious  feelings  of  the  tribe  by 
his  mysterious  incantations. 

In  1806  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  established  a 
village  at  Fort  Greenville,  twenty-six  miles  distant  from 
the  Simmons  settlement,  but  in  1808  they  removed  to 
Tippecanoe,  Indiana,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  Ohio 
settlers.  Undoubtedly  this  removal  was  made  prepara- 
tory to  the  storm  they  intended  should  break  upon  the 
white  settlers  of  the  border,  being  for  the  purpose  of 
placing  their  women  and  children  beyond  the  doomed 
region. 

In  1809  the  apprehension  of  the  whites  reached  its 
climax,  and  rapid  preparations  were  made  for  defence. 
Block  houses,  often  surrounded  with  stockades,  were 
erected  in  each  settlement.  Militia  companies  were 
organized,  and  the  whole  population  of  the  border  put 
upon  a  war  footing.  In  1810,  house  burning,  horse 
stealing  and  murders  were  daily  on  the  increase  and 
had  become  so  common  that  Gen.  Harrison  sent  a 
message  to  Tecumseh,  declaring  that  if  these  crimes 
against  the  white  settlers  did  not  cease  he  might  expect 
to  be  attacked.  To  this  message  Tecumseh  replied  in 
person,  but  the  interview  was  stormy  and  unsatisfactory, 


I  8  HEROES  AND    HEROINES 

and  each  proceeded  at  once  to  prepare  for  open  hostili- 
ties; Tecumseh  by  visiting  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  south 
to  secure  their  co-operation  in  the  coming  struggle, 
while  Gen.  Harrison  collected  his  forces,  and  at  once 
marched  against  the  Shawnee  village  of  Tippecanoe, 
where,  on  the /th  of  November,  1811,  he  defeated  the 
Indians  after  a  desperate  engagement,  and  destroyed  the 
village  with  the  accumulated  provisions  for  the  coming 
winter.  The  records  of  history  afford  no  grander  episode 
than  that  of  the  crusade  of  Tecumseh.  This  eloquent 
champion,  stealthy  as  the  panther  of  his  native  wilds 
sprang  from  one  tribe  to  another  and  enkindled  every- 
where the  smouldering  embers  of  rapine  and  revenge 
into  the  fierce  fires  of  war.  But  one  theme  was  discussed 
at  the  numerous  council  fires  which  blazed  from  the  oak 
forests  of  Michigan  to  the  moss  covered  pines  of  Alabama. 
The  whites  were  to  be  exterminated  or  driven  across  the 
Ohio.  Many  of  the  settlers  had  secured  homes  that 
were  as  dear  to  them  as  the  lands  on  which  they  stood 
were  to  the  Indians.  So,  to  both  parties  it  was  to  be  a 
battle  for  their  homes,  therefore  a  battle  to  the  death. 

With  the  certainty  of  an  Indian  war  and  of  a  conflict 
with  Great  Britain  it  was  evident  that  the  recruits  who 
enlisted  in  the  American  army  in  1810  might  confidently 
expect  a  speedy  participation  in  bloody  conflict.  Against 
this  assurance  of  the  dangers  of  battle  the  government 
had  only  the  paltry  pittance  of  five  dollars  a  month  to 
offer  these  enlisted  men,  but  the  courage  and  patriotism 
that  accepted  these  odds  finds  no  worthy  parallel. 
Grand  as  were  all  these  voluntary  supporters  of  the 
country  in  this  dark  hour,  none  were  more  sublime  in 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  19 

sacrifice  than  Private  John  Simmons.  A  young  and 
affectionate  wife  and  a  babe  less  than  a  year  old  were  left 
behind  while  he  went  to  engage  in  a  war  with  fiendish 
savages  who  took  no  prisoners  but  to  torture  them  to 
death  in  the  most  cruel  manner.  The  only  exceptions 
to  this  awful  custom  was  furnished  when  a  captive 
woman  or  child  was  occasionally  spared  with  intent  to 
impress  as  a  slave  or  adopt  by  a  warrior.  From  such 
an  enemy  no  mercy  need  be  expected.  The  result  of 
each  encounter  was  to  be  complete  victory  or  dreadful 
death.  It  is  difficult  therefore  for  the  men  of  this  gene- 
ration with  its  protracted  season  of  peace  and  the  almost 
universally  acknowledged  amenities  of  warfare  to  realize 
the  value  of  such  sacrifice  and  service. 


2O  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 


CHAPTER  IV. 


A    TOUR    THROUGH    THE    WILDERNESS. 

John  Simmons  reached  Fort  Dearborn  early  in  the 
spring  of  1810  and  at  once  entered  upon  his  military 
duties  which  he  performed  with  skill  and  fidelity,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  first  year  of  service  he  modestly  received 
his  promotion  to  corporal,  and  with  it  a  furlough  which 
enabled  him  to  visit  his  family.  He  had  often  accom- 
panied hunting  and  scouting  parties  along  the  lake  shore 
and  the  Chicago  river.  He  became  enamored  of  the 
country  around  Fort  Dearborn  which  is  now  occupied 
by  Chicago  and  its  suburbs.  Swarms  of  water  fowl 
covered  the  lakes  and  rivers  while  their  waters  teemed 
\vith  the  finest  fish.  Buffalo,  elk,  bear  and  deer,  with 
a  good  variety  of  smaller  game  were  found  in  abundance. 

On  the  vast  prairies  and  along  the  wooded  river 
bottoms  the  tall  grass  attested  the  great  fertility  of  the 
soil,  while  the  ease  with  which  a  farm  could  be  opened 
by  merely  plowing  the  prairie  as  compared  with  the  task 
of  clearing  the  timber  lands  of  western  Ohio  and  eastern 
Indiana  induced  the  young  soldier  to  determine  to  settle 
there  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  seivice.  He 
believed  and  frequently  expressed  the  conviction  that  a 
great  city  would  eventually  be  built  near  the  fort.  It 
was  with  these  anticipations  that  John  Simmons  left  the 
garrison  and  with  rapid  strides  traversed  the  intervening 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  21 

wilderness  to  his  home  in  Miami  county,  Ohio.     Looking 
back  almost  a  century  one  can  scarcely  realize  the  extasy 
with  which  the  returned  soldier  met  his  aged  father  and 
mother,  his  devoted  wife  and  curly  headed  boy  who  had 
in    his    absence    taken    his    first    steps,    and    learned    to 
pronounce   the    sacred    words    "Mama"    and    "Papa." 
Equally  difficult  would   it   be   for   us  to   understand  the 
emotions  of  the  individual  members  of  the  little  house- 
hold as  the  stalwart  young  officer,  from  whom  presum- 
ably nothing  had  been  heard  during  his  absence,  passed 
the  heavy  door  and  entered  the  well  guarded  enclusure. 
As  John  Simmons  unfolded  the  marvelous  tales  of  the 
Illinois    country    all     members    of    the    rejoicing   family 
listened    with  engrossed    interest.      The  vast    meadows 
covered  with  luxuriant  grass  waving  in  the  breeze,  and 
bounded  only  to  the   observers  view  by  the  horizon,  the 
herds  of  buffalo,  deer  and  elk  pasturing  on  these  prairies, 
furnishing  an    abundance   of    excellent   meat,  while  the 
lakes   and  rivers  swarmed  with  an   inexhaustible  supply 
of    food.      His    enthusiastic    description    produced     un- 
bounded    admiration    and    the    narrator    improved    the 
advantage  he  had  gained  by  revealing  his  desire  to  make 
the  delectable  land  his  future  home,  and  for  that  purpose 
to  take  his  little  family  with  him  on  his  return.      This 
proposition  startled  his  aged  parents  who  having  emi- 
grated from   Europe  to   Pennsylvania,  thence   to  Ohio, 
shrank  from   the   thought  of    removing  to  Illinois.      But 
the  arguments  John  employed   were   so  reasonable  that 
they    interposed    but    feeble    opposition    and   contented 
themselves   by  expressing  regrets  that  the  parting  must 
so  soon  occur  and  the  hope  that  at  the  expiration  of  his 


22  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

term  of  service  he  would  return  to  them  and  make  his 
home  on  the  land  which  they  had  given  him.  To  Mrs. 
Simmons,  Jr.,  the  return  with  her  husband  to  Fort 
Dearborn  was  a  momentous  matter.  It  involved  a 
journey  of  four  hundred  miles  through  an  almost  track- 
less wilderness  on  foot  with  no  shelter  save  that  afforded 
by  a  small  canvass  stretched  over  the  boughs  of  trees. 
But  she  had  learned  to  trust  her  young  soldier  husband 
implicitly  and  for  admirable  cause.  They  had  journeyed 
together  from  eastern  Ohio  to  their  home  in  Miami 
county,  as  neighbors  and  lovers  they  had  been  intimately 
acquainted  for  seven  years;  she  had  scarcely  claimed 
him  as  her  own  before  surrendering  him  to  her  country 
as  a  soldier.  His  promotion  in  the  absence  of  wealth  or 
influential  friends  to  urge  his  cause  was  to  her  the  best 
assurance  of  his  merit.  As  he  stood  before  her,  nearly 
six  feet  in  height,  with  massive  frame,  in  the  liberal 
endowment  of  muscular  young  manhood,  clad  in  the 
neat  army  uniform,  a  mature  man,  an  experienced  back- 
woodsman and  a  brave  soldier,  his  young  wife  felt  that 
his  plea  for  her  companionship  during  the  remaining 
period  of  his  enlistment  was  already  granted.  Never 
had  his  influence  over  her  been  so  controling,  her  love 
for  him  so  overpowering.  It  was,  however,  no  blind 
passion  which  assented  to  the  hard  conditions  of  the 
proposition.  The  devoted  wife  was  no  novice  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  dangers  to  be  expected  on  the  con- 
templated journey.  It  was  therefore  with  full  under- 
standing of  the  situation  that  she  gave  her  cheerful 
consent  to  accompany  her  husband  on  his  return. 


FORT    DEARBORN     MASSACRE.  23 

Mrs.  Simmons,  although  of  but  medium  height,  pos- 
sessed a  physical  frame  and  organization  capable  of 
great  endurance.  Aware,  at  least  partially,  of  the 
demands  to  be  made  upon  her  constitution,  she  entered 
into  the  work  of  preparation  for  the  journey  intelligently, 
and  the  progress  of  the  dreary  march  revealed  her  wise 
forethought  in  providing  as  far  as  possible  for  the  comfort 
and  relief  of  her  cherished  companions.  Still,  little 
time  remained  to  complete  the  preparations  and  little 
was  the  amount  they  were  able  to  transport,  as  a  single 
pack  horse  was  expected  to  carry  the  cooking  utensils, 
camp  equipage,  provisions  and  extra  clothing.  John  led 
the  horse  and  bore  his  heavy  rifle  upon  which  so  much 
of  the  safety  and  supply  of  the  little  party  depended, 
while  Susan  trudged  along  carrying  the  child.  So  they 
set  out  one  morning  in  the  latter  part  of  March,  181 1. 
The  last  parting  had  been  a  trying  event.  To  the 
friends  who  had  collected  to  see  the  adventurous  pilgrims 
depart  on  their  fearful  journey  it  seemed  the  last  farewell. 
To  the  aged  father  and  mother  of  both  John  and  Susan 
the  parting  was  indescribably  painful.  Little  David 
received  a  full  share  of  tearful  affection  of  all  who  had 
known  him  as  the  sunshine  of  the  home  he  had  so 
recently  come  to  bless,  and  which  was  to  see  him  no 
more.  Reasonable  as  were  the  sad  anticipations  of  the 
sorrowful  friends,  none  could  foretell  the  awful  fate  of 
the  small  party,  but  one  of  whom  was  to  return. 

On  the  first  day  the  family  was  escorted  to  Piqua 
where  they  crossed  the  Miami  river  and  pushed  on  to 
Stillwater,  where  Covington  now  stands  and  there  en- 
camped, having  traveled  fifteen  miles.  On  the  second 


24  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

day  they  reached  Fort  Greenville.  Here  their  escort 
returned.  From  Fort  Greenville  they  bore  a  little  west 
of  north  to  Fort  Recovery,  a  distance  of  thirty-five  miles. 
Their  next  point  was  Fort  Wayne,  distance  eighty  miles, 
where  they  rested  for  a  day  and  secured  provisions  for 
the  remainder  of  the  journey  to  Fort  Dearborn,  the  route 
traveled  being  near  two  hundred  miles.  The  time 
occupied  in  making  the  trip  to  Fort  Dearborn  from  Ohio 
was  about  thirty  days.  To  persons  acquainted  with  the 
country  traveled  it  is  a  marvel  that  they  succeeded  in 
making  the  journey  in  that  time,  as  at  that  season  of  the 
year  (April)  the  streams  were  usually  full  and  difficult  to 
ford,  and  they  were  compelled  to  make  long  detours  to 
pass  around  the  swamps  covered  with  water  which  lay 
on  their  way.  Then,  the  constant  fear  of  falling  in  with 
scalping  parties  of  savages  required  incessant  watchful- 
ness. Wearisome  days  were  succeeded  by  sleepless  nights 
and  neither  of  the  parents  for  an  hour  were  free  from 
apprehension. 

Long  years  after  this  journey,  while  Mrs.  Simmons 
enjoyed  repose  in  the  society  of  friends  she  often  declared 
that  she  enjoyed  the  trip  as  though  it  had  been  a  pleasure 
excursion,  but  it  is  possible  that  this  view  was  suggested 
by  the  contrast  with  her  subsequent  experiences. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  2  $/ 


CHAPTER  V. 


LIFE    AT    FORT    DEARBORN. 

It  was  late  in  April  when  the  little  party  entered  the 
gate  at  Fort  Dearborn,  tired  and  foot  sore.  The  young- 
soldier  was  complimented  by  his  comrades  in  arms  for 
his  bravery  in  making  the  journey  to  and  from  Ohio.  A 
universal  favorite  before,  this  adventure  greatly  enhanced 
his  reputation  as  a  soldier  of  skill  and  spirit.  His  supe- 
rior officers  confided  important  duties  to  his  care  and 
command  which  he  always  executed  with  the  strictest 
fidelity.  Mrs.  Simmons  watched  with  admiration  and 
delight  the  growing  confidence  reposed  in  her  husband. 
For  herself,  she  soon  shared  with  her  husband  the  esteem 
of  the  entire  garrison. 

The  people  of  the  fort,  consisting  of  soldiers,  women 
and  children,  were  less  than  one  hundred  in  number. 
The  imminence  of  a  common  danger  united  all  in  a 
common  union.  They  were  far  from  civilization,  far 
from  succor  in  case  of  an  attack  by  a  strong  enemy. 
Rumors  of  threatened  hostilities  were  frequently  brought 
to  the  fort  by  scouts  or  friendly  Indians.  Into  such  a 
community,  thus  bound  together  by  a  tie  stronger  than 
any  known  to  humanity,  it  was  not  difficult  for  the  heroic 
woman  to  obtain  speedy  entrance  into  any  circle  in  the 
limited  society  of  the  post.  Her  splendid  courage  and 
endurance  during  the  long  and  wearisome  march,  and 


26  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

her  thorough  acquaintance  with  Indian  character,  ac- 
quired by  long  residences  in  the  midst  of  savage  settle- 
ments, rendered  her  opinions  almost  as  valuable  as  those 
of  her  husband.  On  account  of  his  participation  in  the 
journey,  little  David,  now  three  years  old,  was  familiarly 
called  "the  little  curly  headed  corporal,"  and  soon 
became  a  pet  of  all  in  the  garrison. 

In  November,  1811,  Gen.  Harrison  defeated  the 
Indians  at  Tippecanoe  and  destroyed  their  village.  The 
loss  to  the  hostiles  of  the  stores  collected  for  winter 
entailed  great  hardship  upon  them.  The  news  of  this 
battle  reached  Fort  Dearborn  by  the  way  of  Detroit, 
Fort  Macinac  and  lake  Michigan,  and  warned  the  garri- 
son of  impending  danger.  The  gratification  over  the 
success  of  the  engagement  was  mingled  in  the  minds  of 
the  occupants  of  the  isolated  post  by  the  reflection  that 
while  it  was  then  too  late  in  the  season  for  the  enraged 
tribes  to  lay  siege  to  Fort  Dearborn  a  renewal  of  hostili- 
ties might  be  expected  on  the  return  of  spring. 

Aggressions  and  indignities  were  so  frequently  inflicted 
upon  American  citizens  by  the  officers  and  agents  of  the 
English  government,  that  in  June,  1812,  war  was  de- 
clared against  Great  Britain,  and  in  July  the  British  and 
Indians  captured  Fort  Macinac.  The  officers  of  this 
post  first  learned  of  the  declaration  of  war  from  the 
enemy,  a  fact  which  suggests  incompetency  or  criminal 
neglect  on  the  part  of  high  officials. 

On  the  I2th  day  of  February,  1812,  a  daughter  was 
born  to  Corporal  Simmons,  being  one  of  the  first  white 
children,  if  not  the  first,  born  within  the  limits  of  the 
present  city  of  Chicago.  She  came  to  brighten  the  few 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  2J 

remaining  months  of  her  little  brother's  life,  as  a  source 
of  consolation  to  her  mother  in  widowhood  and  bondage, 
and  to  sustain  and  comfort  her  in  her  declining  years. 
At  this  writing  she  is  reposing  at  the  age  of  83  years  in 
the  beautiful  California  home  of  her  daughter.  In  honor 
of  his  devoted  wife,  Corporal  Simmons  named  the  little 
stranger  Susan  Simmons. 


28  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  ORDER  TO  EVACUATE  THE  FORT. 

With  Macinac,  the  key  to  lake  Michigan,  in  possession 
of  the  British  and  Indians,  with  Detroit  practically 
beleaguered,  while  assistance  from  Fort  Wayne  or  Yin- 
cennes  was  out  of  the  question,  Fort  Dearborn  should 
have  been  evacuated  at  once.  There  were  no  settlers 
near  to  protect,  the  garrison  was  too  weak  to  venture 
beyond  the  walls  of  the  fort  and  too  far  from  other 
military  posts  to  render  them  any  assistance  or  to  receive 
succor  from  them  in  case  of  attack.  Such  was  the 
condition  of  Fort  Dearborn  on  the  seventh  day  of  August, 
1812,  when  Captain  Heald  received  the  order  from  Gen. 
Hull,  who  had  reported  to  the  war  department  on  July 
2Qth,  that  he  would  send  "at  once."  The  order  being 
nine  days  in  transit  reached  the  fort  on  the  /th  of  August. 
It  was  obvious  that  every  moment  of  delay  increased  the 
danger  of  the  garrison.  Whether  it  should  be  decided 
to  remain  or  withdraw,  this  fact  was  equally  manifest. 
Why,  therefore,  Captain  Heald  faltered  for  seven  days 
is  a  serious  question.  The  inexplicable  delay  gave  the 
Indians  an  opportunity  to  collect  their  warriors  from  the 
Pottawatomie  villages  in  the  vicinity.  This  was  done 
industriously  during  the  week  extending  from  the  /th  to 
the  1 4th  of  August. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  2Q 

On  the  1 4th  of  August  Captain  Heald  determined  to 
evacuate  the  fort  on  the  following  day.  On  that  day  he 
concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  by  the  terms  of 
which  the  savages  were  to  be  given  all  the  stores  of  the 
fort  not  required  on  the  march  in  consideration  of  which 
the  Indians  stipulated  to  escort  the  garrison  to  Fort 
Wayne  in  safety.  On  the  evening  of  the  I4th,  after  the 
treaty  had  been  made  and  the  Indians  had  doubtless 
fully  matured  their  plans  for  the  following  day,  which 
without  doubt  included  the  capture  of  the  entire  garrison 
when  decoyed  into  the  open  prairie,  Black  Partridge, 
a  Pottawatomie  chief,  warned  Captain  Heald  of  the 
determination  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  by  returning  to 
him  a  valuable  medal  with  the  statement  that  his  young 
men  had  determined  to  wash  their  hands  in  the  blood  of 
the  whites  and  that  he  could  not  restrain  them.  Then, 
in  tones  of  sadness,  he  closed  his  remarkable  speech 
with  the  most  emphatic  warning,  saying:  "Linden 
birds  have  been  singing  in  my  ears  to-day;  be  careful  on 
the  march  you  are  about  to  make."  The  fact  that  near 
five  hundred  armed  warriors  had  collected  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  fort  of  itself  boded  no  good  to  the 
garrison,  but  the  warning  of  Black  Partridge,  couched 
in  the  most  significant  language  and  delivered  in  terms 
of  sadness  and  sorrow,  should  have  changed  doubt  and 
suspicion  in  the  mind  of  Captain  Heald  into  positive 
certainty.  Perhaps  the  warning  came  too  late  for  the 
commandant  to  retrace  his  steps  and  prepare  for  defense, 
but  it  should  have  led  to  more  prudent  alignment  of  the 
troops  on  the  line  of  retreat.  The  destruction  of  surplus 
stores,  notably  powder  and  whiskey,  while  perhaps 


3O  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

justifiable  on  account  of  the  inevitable  excesses  their 
possession  would  cause,  was  made  a  pretext  by  the 
Indians  to  excuse  their  treachery.  But  the  falseness  of 
this  plea  is  proved  by  the  words  of  Black  Partridge, 
which  shows  that  the  bloody  purpose  had  been  deter- 
mined on  before  the  evacuation.  Still,  it  may  be  possible 
that  the  act  stimulated  the  savages  to  greater  cruelty  in 
their  treatment  of  the  whites.  If  there  was  any  doubt 
as  to  the  good  intentions  of  Black  Partridge  in  warning 
the  garrison  on  the  evening  before  the  evacuation,  it 
disappeared  as  the  fact  of  his  repeated  intervention  to 
save  the  lives  of  the  doomed  inmates  was  manifest 

It  was  a  rash  and  ill  considered  act  on  the  part  of  the 
government  in  planting  a  feeble  post  so  far  from  support. 
Immediately  upon  the  declaration  of  war,  and  especially 
after  the  fall  of  Mackinac  it  should  have  been  evacuated. 
Promptly  on  the  receipt  of  Gen.  Hull's  discretionary 
order  Captain  Heald  should  have  abandoned  the  fort, 
and  marched  with  all  possible  speed  to  Fort  Wayne  or 
he  should  have  made  the  best  possible  preparation  for 
defense  and  seige,  but  seven  days  of  indecision  coupled 
with  previous  neglect  and  incompetency  caused  the 
destruction  of  the  brave  garrison  and  the  obliteration  of 
the  first  Chicago. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  31 


CHAPTER  VII. 


PREPARING    TO    EVACUATE    THE    FORT. 

On  the  evening  of  the  I4th  the  garrison  was  busy 
loading  the  wagons  for  the  journey  which  would  occupy 
from  eight  to  ten  days.  Provisions  and  camp  equipage 
constituted  the  principal  part  of  these  loads.  In  the 
grave  peril  which  confronted  them  the  members  of  the 
garrison  were  more  united  in  sentiment  and  action  than 
ever  before.  The  soldiers  filled  their  powder  horns, 
adjusted  their  flints,  loaded  their  bullet  pouches,  and 
every  possible  preparation  was  made  for  defense,  believing 
the  moment  they  left  the  friendly  walls  of  the  fort  they 
would  be  at  the  mercy  of  an  overwhelming  army  of 
savages.  Many  of  the  little  Spartan  band  vowed  to 
defend  the  women  and  children  with  their  lives,  and  for 
this  purpose  the  best  possible  preparations  were  made. 
Corporal  Simmons  fully  realized  the  fearful  responsibility 
that  rested  upon  him,  and  not  one  of  the  small  command 
prepared  to  march  through  the  gate  of  the  fort  and  out 
into  the  presence  of  the  Indians  with  a  firmer  determin- 
ation to  do  his  whole  duty.  True  not  one  of  them  had 
greater  incentive  to  perform  a  soldier's  part.  His  con- 
stant thought  was  of  the  noble  woman  who  had  been  his 
faithful  friend  on  the  perilous  journey  through  the 
wilderness  of  Ohio,  and  later  became  his  idolized  wife; 
and  who  in  a  spirit  fitting  a  soldier's  bride,  gave  him  to 


32  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

the  service  of  his  country  a  little  more  than  two  years 
before.  His  heart  swelled  often  while  engaged  in  the 
monotonous  routine  of  his  regular  duty  as  he  recalled 
her  grand  comradeship,  on  the  long  tramp  through  the 
dense  forests  in  western  Ohio  and  across  Indiana  to  this 
forlorn  hope.  Intimately  and  inseparably  connected 
with  remembrances  of  his  heroic  wife,  Corporal  Simmons 
never  forgot  their  first  born,  little  David,  the  "curly 
headed  corporal,"  full  of  life  and  happy  in  the  love  of 
papa  and  mama,  and  the  infant  Susan,  six  months  and 
two  days  old,  the  delight  and  joy  of  the  little  family  and 
the  pet  and  play  fellow  of  even  the  roughest  soldiers  in 
the  camp.  On  that  sad  evening,  as  John  Simmons 
looked  upon  this  group  confided  to  his  protection  he 
resolved  that  harm  could  only  reach  them  over  his  dead 
body.  With  what  fidelity  he  redeemed  this  vow  will  be 
revealed  later  on. 

The  great  number  of  warriors  camped  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  fort  required  a  strong  guard  for  the 
night  to  prevent  a  surprise.  The  other  soldiers  slept  a 
fitful  sleep  upon  their  arms.  The  women  of  the  garrison, 
a  majority  of  whom  had  small  children,  were  busy  in 
preparing  for  the  march.  Among  these  was  Mrs.  Sim- 
mons, who  early  in  the  evening  had  endeavored  to  put 
her  babe  to  sleep  so  that  she  might  complete  the 
preparations  necessary  for  the  long  march.  The  "little 
corporal,"  David,  had  noticed  the  unusual  stir  and 
preparation  going  on  around  him,  and  was  exceedingly 
anxious  to  know  what  it  all  meant.  "Where  were  they 
going?"  "  Would  he  ride  in  the  big  wagon?  "  "  Were 
they  going  to  grandpa's  in  Ohio?  "  These  with  many 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  33 

other  questions  were  eagerly  asked  and  years  afterward 
rang  in  the  ears  of  Mrs.  Simmons  when  she  recalled  the 
events  of  that  last  gloomy  night  in  Fort  Dearborn.  It 
was  late  in  the  evening  when  little  David,  tired  of 
watching  the  busy  scene  and  overcome  by  weariness, 
repeated  his  little  prayer  on  his  mother's  lap  for  the  last 
time  and  received  his  good  night  kiss  from  father  and 
mother.  The  young  soldier  and  wife  now  discussed  the 
probabilities  of  the  morrow.  He  was  familiar  with  all 
the  details  of  the  proposed  evacuation.  During  the  day 
Captain  Wells  one  of  the  most  famous  Indian  fighters 
of  the  frontier  arrived  with  twenty  friendly  warriors  of 
the  Miami  tribe,  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  assistance 
to  the  beleaguered  garrison  or  to  escort  them  to  Fort 
Wayne  in  case  of  evacuation.  Captain  Wells  was 
present  and  heard  the  declaration  of  Black  Partridge 
that  his  young  men  had  determined  to  imbue  their  hands 
in  the  blood  of  the  whites  and  that  he  could  not  restrain 
them.  Wells  knew  the  chief  intimately  and  reposed  the 
utmost  confidence  in  his  truthfulness.  This  statement 
therefore  convinced  him  of  the  danger  which  confronted 
them.  Corporal  Simmons  informed  his  wife  of  the  order 
to  secretly  destroy  the  whiskey  and  ammunition  which 
Captain  Heald  had  promised  the  Indians,  and  of  his 
belief  that  should  the  savages  discover  this  they  would 
not  hesitate  to  murder  the  garrison.  He  did  not 
conceal  from  her  his  opinion  that  the  peril  seemed 
imminent  for  he  realized  that  the  whites  would  be  com- 
pelled to  fight  for  their  lives  with  odds  of  eight  to  one 
against  them.  It  may  be  well  supposed  that  the  night 
was  far  advanced  before  sleep  came  to  their  relief  from 


34  HEROES  AND    HEROINES 

the  heavy  burdens  which  oppressed  mind  and  body,  and 
that  early  dawn  found  them  astir  and  preparing  for  the 
fearful  ordeal  before  them.  All  night  dark  objects  were 
seen  moving  about  outside  the  fort,  showing  to  the 
guards  who  were  ever  on  the  alert  that  the  Indians  were 
on  the  watch  to  prevent  the  admittance  of  farther  rein- 
forcements and  the  dispatch  of  couriers  for  succor. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  i  5th  day  of 
August,  1812,  the  troops  were  mustered  within  the 
stockade  and  inspected.  The  roll  was  called  and 
answered  for  the  last  time.  Fifty-four  regular  soldiers 
and  twelve  militia  men  stood  in  line,  presenting  a  feeble 
array  with  which  to  engage  five  hundred  fierce  warriors 
on  the  open  prairie.  The  troops  were  dismissed  for  the 
last  breakfast  they  were  destined  to  eat  together,  with 
orders  to  be  ready  to  march  at  nine  o'clock.  While  the 
troops  were  engaged  in  eating  breakfast  and  preparing 
for  the  march  the  Indians  just  outside  the  stockade  were 
eating  a  meal  furnished  from  the  stores  of  the  fort  the 
day  before,  and  arranging  apparently  to  escort  the 
garrison  on  its  march  to  safety,  while  in  reality  they 
were  preparing  to  decoy  it  to  its  doom. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  35 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE    BATTLE    AND    MASSACRE. 

Preparations  for  the  evacuation  having  been  completed 
and  the  fatal  hour  having  arrived,  the  line  of  march  was 
formed  within  the  stockade  as  described  by  E.  G.  Mason, 
Esq.,  President  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  in  his 
masterly  address  delivered  at  the  unveiling  of  the 
Pullman  Memorial  Monument,  which  is  here  inserted  in 
full,  as  follows: 

"The  Chicago  Historical  Society  accepts  this  noble  gift 
in  thrust  for  our  city  and  for  posterity  with  high  appreciation 
of  the  generosity,  the  public  spirit,  and  the  regard  for 
history  of  the  donor.  It  realizes  that  this  monument  so 
wisely  planned  and  so  superbly  executed  is  to  be  preserved 
not  simply  as  a  splendid  ornament  of  our  city  but  also  as  a 
most  impressive  record  of  its  history.  This  group,  repre- 
senting to  the  life  the  thrilling  scene  enacted  perchance  on 
the  very  spot  on  which  it  stands,  barely  eighty  years  ago, 
and  its  present  surroundings,  make  most  vivid  the  tremen- 
dous contrast  between  the  Chicago  of  1812  and  the  Chicago 
of  18^3.  It  teaches  thus  the  marvelous  growth  of  our  city, 
and  k  commemorates  as  well  the  trials  and  the  sorrows  of 
those  who  suffered  here  in  the  cause'  of  civilization.  The 
tragedy  which  it  recalls,  though  it  seemed  to  extinguish 
the  infant  settlement  in  blood,  was  in  reality  one  which 
nerved  men's  arms  and  fired  their  hearts  to  the  efforts 
•vhich  rescued  this  region  from  the  invader  and  the  barba- 


36  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

rian.      The    story    which    it    tells    is    therefore    of    deeper 
significance  than  many  that  have  to  do  with 

'  Battles,  and  the  breath 
Of  stormy  war  and  violent  death,' 

and  it  is  one  which  should  never  be  forgotten. 

"With  its  suggestions  before  us  how  readily  we  can  pic- 
ture to  ourselves  the  events  of  that  i5th  day  of  August  in  the 
year  of  grace  1812.  Hardly  a  week  before  there  had  come 
through  the  forest  and  across  the  prairie  to  the  lonely  Fort 
Dearborn  an  Indian  runner,  like  a  clansman  with  the  fiery 
cross,  bearing  the  news  of  the  battle  and  disaster.  War 
with  Great  Britain  had  been  declared  in  June,  Mackinac 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  in  July,  and  with 
these  alarming  tidings  the  red  messenger  brought  an  order 
from  the  commanding  general  at  Detroit,  contemplating 
the  abandonment  of  this  frontier  post.  Concerning  the 
terms  of  his  order  authorities  have  differed.  Capt.  Heald, 
who  received  it,  speaks  of  it  as  a  peremptory  command  to 
evacuate  the  fort.  Others  with  good  means  of  knowledge 
say  that  the  dispatch  directed  him  to  vacate  the  fort  if 
practicable.  But  General  Hull  who  sent  the  order,  settles 
this  question  in  a  report  to  the  War  Department  which  has 
recently  come  to  light.  Writing  under  date  of  July  2Qth, 
1812,  he  says: 

"  '  I  shall  immediately  send  an  express  to  Fort  Dearborn 
with  orders  to  evacuate  that  post  and  retreat  to  this  place 
(Detroit)  or  Fort  Wayne,  provided  it  can  be  effected  with 
a  greater  prospect  of  safety  than  to  remain.  Capt.  Heald 
is  a  judicious  officer  •  and  I  shall  confide  much  to  his 
discretion. ' 

"  The  decision  whether  to  go  or  stay  rested  therefore 
with  Capt.  Nathan  Heald,  and  truly  the  responsibility  was 
a  heavy  one.  Signs  of  Indian  hostility  had  not  been  want- 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  37 

ing.  But  the  evening  before  Black  Partridge,  a  chief  of 
the  Pottawatomie  tribe,  long  a  friend  of  the  whites,  had 
entered  the  quarters  of  the  commanding  officer  and  handed 
to  him  the  medal  which  the  warrior  wore  in  token  of  ser- 
vices to  the  American  cause  in  the  Indian  campaigns  of 
'  Mad'  Anthony  Wayne.  With  dignity  and  with  sadness 
the  native  orator  said : 

"  '  Father,  I  come  to  deliver  up  to  you  the  medal  I  wrear. 
It  was  given  me  by  the  Americans,  and  I  have  long  worn 
it  in  token  of  our  mutual  friendship.  But  our  young  men 
are  resolved  to  imbue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the 
whites.  I  cannot  restrain  them  and  I  will  not  wear  a  token 
of  peace  while  I  am  compelled  to  act  as  an  enemy. ' 

"This  striking  incident  has  been  fitly  chosen  as  the 
subject  of  one  of  the  reliefs  on  the  pedestal  of  the  monu- 
ment. It  typifies  the  relations  between  the  hapless  whites 
and  their  red  neighbors  at  the  moment  and  the  causes 
which  had  changed  friendship  into  hatred,  and  it  sounds 
the  note  of  coming  doom. 

"On  that  dreary  day  one  gleam  of  light  fell  across  the 
path  of  the  perplexed  commander.  Capt.  William  Wells 
arrived  from  Fort  Wayne  with  a  small  party  of  friendly 
Miami  Indians  to  share  the  fortunes  of  the  imperiled  garri- 
son. This  gallant  man,  destined  to  be  the  chief  hero  and 
victim  of  the  Chicago  massacre,  had  had  a  most  remarkable 
career.  Of  a  good  Kentucky  family,  he  was  stolen  when  a 
boy  of  12  by  the  Miami  Indians  and  adopted  by  their  great 
chief,  Me-che-kau-nah-qua,  or  Little  Turtle,  whose  daughter 
became  his  wife.  He  fought  on  the  side  of  the  red  men  in 
their  defeat  of  Gen  Harmar  in  1790  and  Gen.  St.  Clair  in 
1791.  Discovered  by  his  Kentucky  kindred  when  he  had 
reached  years  of  manhood,  he  was  persuaded  to  ally  himself 
with  his  own  race,  and  took  formal  leave  of  his  Indian 
comrades,  avowing  henceforth  his  enmity  to  them.  Joining 


38  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

Wayne's  army,  he  was  made  captain  of  a  company  of 
scouts,  and  was  a  most  faithful  and  valuable  officer.  When 
peace  came  with  the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  1795,  he  de- 
voted himself  to  obtaining  an  education,  and  succeeded  so 
well  that  he  was  appointed  Indian  agent  and  served  in  that 
capacity  at  Chicago  as  early  as  1803,  and  later  at  Fort 
Wayne,  where  he  was  also  government  interpreter  and  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  Here  he  heard  of  the  probable 
evacuation  of  the  post  at  Chicago,  and  knowing  the  temper 
of  the  Indians,  he  gathered  such  force  as  he  could  and 
made  a  rapid  march  across  the  country  to  save  or  die  with 
his  friends  at  Fort  Dearborn,  among  whom  the  wife  of  Capt. 
Heald  was  his  own  favorite  niece,  whose  gentle  influence 
had  been  most  potent  in  winning  him  back  from  barbarism 
years  before.  It  seemed  almost  as  if  he  had  resolved  to 
atone  for  the  period  in  which  he  had  ignorantly  antagonized 
his  own  people  by  a  supreme  effort  in  their  behalf  against 
the  race  which  had  so  nearly  made  him  a  savage. 

"  He  came  too  late  to  effect  any  change  in  .Capt.  Heald's 
plans.  The  abandonment  was  resolved  upon,  and  the 
stores  and  ammunition  were  in  part  destroyed  and  in  part 
divided  among  the  Indians,  who  were  soon  to  make  so  base 
a  return  for  these  gifts.  At  9  o'clock  on  that  fatal  summer 
morning  the  march  began  from  the  little  fort,  which  stood 
where  Michigan  avenue  and  River  street  now  join  on  a 
slight  eminence  around  which  the  river  wound  to  find  its 
way  to  the  lake  near  the  present  terminus  of  Madison  street. 
The  garrison  bade  farewell  to  the  rude  stockade  and  the  log 
barracks  and  magazine  and  two  corner  blockhouses  which 
composed  the  first  Fort  Dearborn.  When  this  only  place 
of  safety  was  left  behind,  the  straggling  line  stretched  out 
along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  Capt.  Wells  and  a  part  of  his 
Miamis  in  the  van,  half  a  company  of  regulars  and  a  dozen 
militiamen,  and  the  wagons  with  the  women  and  children 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  39 

following,  and  the  remainder  of  the  Miamis  bringing  up 
the  rear.  You  may  see  it  all  on  the  panel  on  the  monument, 
which  recalls  from  the  past  and  makes  very  real  this 
mournful  march  to  death.  The  escort  of  Pottawatomies, 
which  that  treacherous  tribe  had  glibly  promised  to  Capt. 
Heald,  kept  abreast  of  the  troops  until  they  reached  the 
sand  hills  intervening  between  the  prairie  and  the  lake, 
and  here  the  Indians  disappeared  behind  the  ridge.  The 
whites  kept  on  near  the  water  to  a  point  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  fort  and  about  where  Fourteenth  street  now  ends, 
when  Wells  in  the  advance  was  seen  to  turn  and  ride  back, 
swinging  his  hat  around  his  head  in  a  circle,  which  meant 
in  the  sign  language  of  the  frontier:  'We  are  surrounded 
by  Indians.' 

"As  soon  as  he  came  within  hearing  he  shouted:  'We 
are  surrounded;  march  up  on  the  sand  ridges.'  And  all  at 
once,  in  the  graphic  language  of  Mrs.  Heald,  they  saw 
'  the  Indians'  heads  sticking  up  and  down  again,  here  and 
there,  like  turtles  out  of  the  water.' 

"  Instantly  a  volley  was  showered  down  from  the  sand 
hills,  the  troops  were  brought  into  line,  and  charged  up  the 
bank,  one  man,  a  veteran  of  seventy  years,  falling  as  they 
ascended.  Wells  shouted  to  Heald,  '  Charge  them! '  and 
then  led  on  and  broke  the  line  of  the  Indians,  who  scattered 
right  and  left.  Another  charge  was  made,  in  which  Wells 
did  deadly  execution  upon  the  perfidious  barbarians,  load- 
ing and  firing  two  pistols  and  a  gun  in  rapid  succession. 
But  the  Pottawatomies,  beaten  in  front,  closed  in  on  the 
flanks.  The  cowardly  Miamis  rendered  no  assistance,  and 
in  fifteen  minutes'  time  the  savages  had  possession  of  the 
baggage  train  and  were  slaying  the  women  and  children. 
Heald  and  the  remnant  of  his  command  were  isolated  on  a 
mound  in  the  prairie.  He  had  lost  all  his  officers  and  half 


40  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

his  men,  was  himself  sorely  wounded,  and  there  was  no 
choice  but  to  surrender. 

"Such,  in  merest  outline,  was  the  battle,  and  one  of  its 
saddest  incidents  was  the  death  of  Capt.  Wells.  As  he 
rode  back  from  the  fray,  desperately  wounded,  he  met  his 
niece  and  bade  her  farewell,  raying:  'Tell  my  wife,  if  you 
live  to  see  her — but  I  think  it  doubtful  if  a  single  one 
escapes — tell  her  I  died  at  my  post;  doing  the  best  I  could. 
There  are  seven  red  devils  over  there  that  I  have  killed.' 
As  he  spoke  his  horse  fell,  pinning  him  to  the  ground.  A 
group  of  Indians  approached;  he  took  deliberate  aim  and 
fired,  killing  one  of  them.  As  the  others  drew  near,  with  a  last 
effort  he  proudly  lifted  his  head,  saying:  'Shoot  away,' 
and  the  fatal  shot  was  fired. 

"So  died  Chicago's  hero,  whose  tragic  fate  and  the  hot 
fight  in  which  he  fell  are  aptly  selected  as  the  subjects  of 
the  other  bas-reliefs  of  this  monument.  The  bronze  group 
which  crowns  it  is  an  epitome  of  the  whole  struggle, 
revealing  its  desperate  character,  the  kind  of  foemen  whom 
our  soldiers  had  to  meet,  and  their  mode  of  warfare,  their 
merciless  treatment  of  women  and  children,  and  setting 
forth  the  one  touch  of  romance  in  the  grim  record  of  the 
Chicago  massacre.  It  illustrates  the  moment  when  the 
young  wife  of  Lieut.  Helm,  second  in  command  of  the  fort, 
was  attacked  by  an  Indian  lad,  who  struck  her  on  the 
shoulder  with  a  tomahawk.  .  To  prevent  him  from  using 
his  weapons  she  siezed  him  around  the  neck  and  strove  to 
get  possession  of  the  scalping-knife  which  hung  in  a  scab- 
bard over  his  breast.  In  the  midst  of  the  struggle  she  was 
dragged  from  the  grasp  of  her  assailant  by  an  older  Indian. 
He  bore  her  to  the  lake  and  plunged  her  into  the  waves; 
but  she  quickly  perceived  that  his  object  was  not  to  drown 
her,  as  he  held  her  head  above  water.  Gazing  intently  at 
him  she  soon  recognized,  in  spite  of  the  paint  with  which 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  41 

he  was  disguised,  the  whilom  friend  of  the  whites,  Black 
Partridge,  who  saved  her  from  further  harm  and  restored 
her  to  her  friends.  For  this  good  deed,  and  others,  too, 
this  noble  chief  should  be  held  in  kindly  remembrance. 

"It  is  difficult  to  realize  that  such  scenes  could  have 
taken  place  where  we  meet  to-day;  but  history  and  tradi- 
tion alike  bear  witness  that  we  are  assembled  near  the 
center  of  that  bloody  battlefield.  From  the  place  on  the 
lake  shore  a  few  blocks  to  the  north,  where  Wells'  signal 
halted  the  column  over  the  parallel  sand  ridges  southwest- 
erly along  the  prairie  and  through  the  bushy  ravines 
between,  the  running  fight  continued  probably  as  far  as  the 
present  intersection  of  Twenty-first  street  and  Indiana 
avenue,  where  one  of  our  soldiers  was  slain  and  scalped, 
and  still  lies  buried.  Just  over  on  Michigan  avenue  must 
have  been  the  little  eminence  on  the  prairie  on  which 
Heald  made  his  last  rally,  and  right  before  us  the  skulking 
savages,  who  had  given  away  at  the  advance  of  our  men, 
gathered  in  their  rear  around  the  few  wagons  which  had 
vainly  sought  to  keep  under  the  cover  of  our  line. 

"If  this  gaunt  old  cottonwood,  long  known  as  the 
'Massacre  Tree,'  could  speak,  what  a  tale  of  horror  it 
would  tell.  For  tradition,  strong  as  Holy  Writ,  affirms 
that  between  this  tree  and  its  neighbor,  the  roots  of  which 
still  remain  beneath  the  pavement,  the  baggage  wagon 
containing  twelve  children  of  the  white  families  of  the  fort, 
and  one  young  savage  climbed  into  it,  tomahawked  the 
entire  group.*  A  little  while  and  this  sole  witness  of  that 
deed  of  woe  must  pass  away.  But  the  duty  of  preserving 


*Mrs.  Simmons  was  perhaps  the  only  person  who  witnessed  the  details  in 
and  around  the  government  wagon  who  escaped  from  captivity,  and  she 
always  placed  the  number  of  children  killed  in  the  wagon  at  nine,  the 
other  three  who  wore  murdered  were  on  foot. 


42  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

the  name  and  the  locality  of  the  Chicago  massacre,  which 
has  been  its  charge  for  so  many  years,  is  now  transferred 
to  this  stately  monument,  which  will  faithfully  perform  it 
long  after  the  fall  of  the  'Massacre  Tree.' 

"Capt.  Heald's  whole  party,  not  including  the  Miami 
detachment,  when  they  marched  out  of  Fort  Dearborn 
comprised  fifty-four  regulars,  twelve  militiamen,  nine 
women  and  eighteen  children — ninety-three  white  persons 
in  all.  Of  these  twenty-six  regulars  and  the  twelve  militia- 
men were  slain  in  action,  two  women  and  twelve  children 
were  murdered  on  the  field,  and  five  regulars  were  bar- 
barously put  to  death,  after  the  surrender.  There  remained 
then  but  thirty-six  of  the  whole  party  of  ninety-three,  and 
of  the  sixty-six  fighting  men  who  met  their  red  foemen 
here  that  day  only  twenty-three  survived.  These,  with 
seven  women  and  six  children,  were  prisoners  in  the  hands 
of  the  savages.  We  know  of  the  romantic  escape,  by  the 
aid  of  friendly  Indians,  of  Capt.  and  Mrs.  Heald  and 
Lieut,  and  Mrs.  Helm;  and  three  of  the  soldiers,  one  of 
whom  was  Orderly  Sergeant  William  Griffith,  in  less  than 
two  months  after  the  massacre  found  their  way  to  Michi- 
gan, bringing  the  sad  news  from  Fort  Dearborn.  Hull's 
surrender  had  placed  Detroit  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy; 
but  the  Territorial  Chief  Justice,  Woodward,  the  highest 
United  States  authority  there,  in  a  ringing  letter  to  the 
British  Commander,  Col.  Proctor,  under  date  of  October 
8,  1812,  demanded  in  the  name  of  humanity  that  instant 
means  should  be  taken  for  the  preservation  of  these  un- 
happy captives  by  sending  special  messengers  among  the 
Indians  to  collect  the  prisoners  and  bring  them  to  the 
nearest  army  post,  and  that  orders  to  co-operate  should  be 
issued  to  the  British  officers  on  the  lakes.  Col.  Proctor 
one  month  before  had  been  informed  by  his  own  people  of 
the  bloody  work  at  Chicago,  and  had  reported  the  same  to 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  43 

his  superior  offcer,  Maj.  Gen.  Brock,  but  had  contented 
himself  with  remarking  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  any 
attack  having  been  intended  by  the  Indians  on  Chicago, 
nor  could  they  indeed  be  said  to  be  within  the  influence  of 
the  British. 

"Now,  spurred  to  action  by  Judge  Woodward's  clear 
and  forcible  presentation  of  the  case,  Proctor  promised  to 
use  the  most  effective  means  in  his  power  for  the  speedy 
release  from  slavery  of  these  unfortunate  individuals.  He 
committed  the  matter  to  Robert  Dickson,  British  agent  to 
the  Indians  of  the  Western  Nations,  who  proceeded  about 
it  leisurely  enough.  March  16,  1813,  he  wrote  from  St. 
Joseph's  Lake,  Michigan,  that  there  remained  of  the  ill- 
fated  garrison  of  Chicago,  captives  among  the  Indians, 
seventeen  soldiers,  four  women,  and  some  children,  and 
that  he  had  taken  the  necessary  steps  for  their  redemption 
and  had  the  fullest  confidence  that  he  should  succeed  in 
getting  the  whole.  Six  days  later  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
inspected  the  ruined  fort,  where,  as  he  says,  there  remained 
only  two  pieces  of  brass  ordinance,  three-pounders—one 
in  the  river,  with  wheels,  and  the  other  dismounted — a 
powder  magazine,  well  preserved,  and  a  few  houses  on  the 
outside  of  the  fort,  in  good  condition.  The  desolation 
apparently  was  not  relieved  by  the  presence  of  a  single 
inhabitant.  Such  was  the  appearance  of  Chicago  in  the 
spring  following  the  massacre.  Of  these  seventeen  soldiers, 
the  nine  who  survived  their  long  imprisonment  were 
ransomed  by  a  French  trader  and  sent  to  Quebec,  and 
ultimately  reached  Plattsburg,  N.  Y. ,  in  the  summer  of 
1814.  Of  the  women,  two  were  rescued  from  slavery,  one 
by  the  kindness  of  Black  Partridge;  and  the  others  doubt- 
less perished  in  captivity.  Of  the  children,  we  only  hear 
again  of  one.  In  a  letter  written  to  Maj.  Gen.  Proctor  by 
Capt.  Bullock,  the  British,  commander  at  Mackinac,  Sep- 


44  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

tember  25,  1813,  he  says:  'There  is  also  here  a  boy 
(Peter  Bell),  5  or  6  years  of  age,  whose  father  and  mother 
were  killed  at  Chicago.  The  boy  was  purchased  from  the 
Indians  by  a  trader  and  brought  here  last  July  by  direction 
of  Mr.  Dickson.'  Of  the  six  little  people  who  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Indians  this  one  small  waif  alone  seems 
to  have  floated  to  the  shore  of  freedom." 

"The  Pottawatomies,  after  the  battle  and  the  burning  of 
the  fort,  divided  their  booty  and  prisoners  and  scattered, 
some  to  their  villages,  some  to  join  their  brethren  in  the 
siege  of  Fort  Wayne.  Here  they  were  foiled  by  the  timely 
arrival  of  William  Henry  Harrison,  then  Governor  of  the 
Indiana  Territory,  with  a  force  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio 
troops,  and  condign  punishment  was  inflicted  upon  a  part 
at  least  of  the  Chicago  murderers.  A  detachment  which 
Gen.  Harrison  assigned  to  this  work  was  commanded  by 
Col.  Samuel  Wells,  who  must  have  remembered  his 
brother's  death  when  he  destroyed  the  village  of  Five 
Medals,  a  leading  Pottawatomie  chief.  To  one  of  the 
ruthless  demons  who  slew  women  and  children  under  the 
branches  of  this  tree,  such  an  appropriate  vengeance  came 
that  it  seems  fitting  to  tell  the  story  here.  He  was  older 
than  most  of  the  band,  a  participant  in  many  battles,  and 
a  deadly  enemy  of  the  whites.  His  scanty  hair  was  drawn 
tightly  upward  and  tied  with  a  string,  making  a  tuft  on  top 
of  his  head,  and  from  this  peculiarity  he  was  known  as 
Chief  Shavehead.  Years  after  the  Chicago  massacre  he 
was  a  hunter  in  Western  Michigan  and  when  in  liquor  Avas 
fond  of  boasting  of  his  achievements  on  the  warpath.  On 
one  of  these  occasions  in  the  streets  of  a  little  village  he 
told  the  fearful  tale  of  his  doings  on  this  field  with  all  its 
horrors;  but  among  his  hearers  chanced  to  be  a  soldier  of 


*It  is  due  Mr.  Mason  to  say  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  Mrs.  Simmons 
and  her  child  until  after  he  delivered  his  memorial  address. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  45 

the  garrison  of  Fort  Dearborn,  one  of  the  few  survivors  of 
that  fatal  day.  As  he  listened  he  saw  that  frightful  scene 
again,  and  was  maddened  by  its  recall.  At  sundown  the 
old  brave  left  the  settlement,  and  silently  on  his  trail  the 
soldier  came,  'with  his  gun,'  says  the  account,  'resting  in 
the  hollow  of  his  left  arm  and  the  right  hand  clasped  around 
the  lock,  with  his  forefinger  carelessly  toying  with  the 
trigger.'  The  red  man  and  the  white  passed  into  the 
shade  of  the  forest;  the  soldier  returned  alone;  Chief 
Shavehead  was  never  seen  again.  He  had  paid  the  penalty 
of  his  crime  to  one  who  could,  with  some  fitness,  exact  it. 
Such  was  the  fate  of  a  chief  actor  in  the  dark  scene  enacted 
here. 

"Many  others  of  the  Pottawatomie  tribe  joined  the 
British  forces  in  the  field,  and  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames, 
October  5,  1813,  they  were  confronted  again  by  Harrison 
and  his  riflemen,  who  then  avenged  the  slaughter  at 
Chicago  upon  some  of  its  perpetrators.  Victor  and  victim 
alike  have  passed  away.  The  story  of  their  struggle 
remains,  and  this  masterpiece  will  be  an  object-lesson 
teaching  it  to  after  generations.  Mr.  Pullman's  liberal  and 
thoughtful  action  is  a  needed  recognition  of  the  importance 
and  interest  of  our  early  history,  an  inspiration  to  its  study, 
and  an  example  which  may  well  be  followed.  The  event 
which  this  monument  commemorates,  its  principal  inci- 
dents, and  the  after  fortunes  of  those  concerned  in  it,  have 
been  briefly  sketched  and  much  has  necessarily  been  left 
unsaid.  But  we  should  not  omit  a  grateful  recognition  of 
the  able  civillian  soldier,  William  Henry  Harrison,  who 
stayed  the  tide  of  barbarism  which  flowed  from  the  Chicago 
massacre,  and  humbled  the  tribe  which  was  responsible 
for  that  lurid  tragedy.  The  name  of  Harrison  is  intimately 
and  honorably  associated  with  the  early  days  in  the  North- 
west, with  the  war  of  1812,  and  with  the  highest  office  in 


46  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

the  gift  of  the  American  people  half  a  century  ago.  It  is 
likewise  intimately  and  honorably  associated  with  the  later 
days  of  the  Northwest  and  the  great  civil  war,  and  again 
with  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of  the  American  people 
in  our  own  times.  It  is  fitting  that  the  distinguished 
descendant  of  William  Henry  Harrison  should  be  here  to- 
day. It  is  a  high  honor  that  the  eminent  ex-President  of 
the  United  States  should  grace  this  occasion  with  his 
presence,  which  makes  these  exercises  complete." 

Mr.  Mason  having  told  the  story  of  the  Fort  Dearborn 
tragedy  as  it  deserves  and  as  it  has  never  before  been 
told,  it  remains  for  this  humble  sketch  to  devote  itself 
chiefly  to  the  fate  of  the  persons  with  whom  our  story 
especially  deals. 

Returning  to  the  fort  where  we  left  the  line  of  march 
forming,  Corporal  Simmons  remained  by  the  wagon  until 
his  duty  called  him  away.  He  then  lifted  David,  "the 
curly  headed  Corporal,"  in  his  arms  and,  after  both 
father  and  mother  had  kissed  him  for  the  last  time,  he 
placed  him  in  the  government  wagon,  then  turning  to 
his  wife  who  held  their  babe,  he  embraced  and  kissed 
both,  then  held  the  babe  up  to  receive  the  last  kiss  from 
its  little  brother.  Then  bidding  his  brave  and  faithful 
wife  remain  close  by  the  children  in  the  wagon  he  took 
his  place  among  the  troops  who  were  ordered  to  guard 
the  wagons  and  women  and  children,  a  position  in  which 
he  had  requested  to  be  placed  that  he  might  defend  his 
family  to  the  last.  Little  David  with  eight  other  chil- 
dren, too  small  to  walk,  occupied  the  government  wagon 
as  it  was  called.  Mrs.  Simmons  carried  her  babe  in  her 
arms  while  Peter  Bell,  six  years  old,  with  seven  other 
children  were  with  their  mothers  who  were  on  foot  near 


FORT    DEARBORN     MASSACRE.  47 

the  wagon,  making  eighteen  children  in  all.  Mrs.  Heald 
and  Mrs.  Helm  rode  on  horseback  with  their  husbands 
and  Capt.  Wells,  while  Mrs.  Simmons,  Mrs.  Bell  and 
Mrs.  Holt  with  four  other  women,  whose  names  are 
unknown,  were  on  foot  near  the  wagon  containing  the 
children,  altogether  constituting  a  group  of  seven  women 
and  eighteen  children. 

No  sooner  had  the  train  left  the  fort  than  the  Indians 
rushed  into  the  stockade  to  take  possession  and  secure 
the  booty  abandoned  and  perhaps  assure  themselves  of 
the  treachery  of  Capt.  Heald  in  destroying  the  arms  and 
ammunition  and  also  to  prevent  the  return  of  any  of  the 
garrison  when  attacked. 

No  more  favorable  position  to  suit  the  purpose  of 
the  Indians  could  have  been  selected  than  that  occu- 
pied by  the  line  of  march.  The  slender  column  was 
flanked  on  the  left  by  the  lake  and  on  the  right  by  the 
sand  hills  which  were  occupied  by  the  savages  and  from 
which  they  suddenly  poured  down  a  shower  of  balls 
without  exposing  their  own  persons.  The  column  was 
instantly  halted  when  Capt.  Wells  discovered  that  it  was 
surrounded  by  the  assailants,  and  at  the  suggestion  of 
Capt.  Wells,  Capt.  Heald  formed  a  line  and  charged  up 
the  sand  hills  through  the  line  of  Indians,  and  took  a 
position  on  a  mound  in  the  prairie  where  they  held  the 
enemy  at  bay  for  a  time.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  bag- 
gage train,  with  the  women  and  children  remained  near 
the  lake,  with  the  twelve  militia  men  and^a  mere  hand- 
ful of  regulars  to  guard  them.  The  greater  part  of  the 
soldiers  who  were  not  already  killed  or  wounded  had 
escaped  with  Capt.  Heald  and  were  now  outside  the 


48  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

Indian  lines.  The  savages  soon  discovered  the  almost 
defenceless  condition  of  the  baggage  train  and  of  the 
women  and  children,  fired  a  volley  upon  them  and  then 
rushed  in  from  front,  rear  and  right,  with  uplifted 
tomahawks.  The  few  soldiers  having  discharged  their 
rifles  and  being  too  closely  pressed  to  reload  them, 
continued  the  unequal  contest  with  clubbed  guns  until 
every  one  was  slain. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  brave  Capt.  Wells  returned 
through  the  Indian  lines  to  the  defense  of  the  women 
and  children,  and  dealt  death  among  the  savages  until 
covered  with  wounds  he  fell  with  his  face  to  the  enemy, 
confronting  death  as  a  brave  knight  in  defense  of  the 
helpless.  He  might  have  remained  on  the  mound  and 
surrendered  with  Capt.  Heald  and  Lieut.  Helm,  and 
perhaps  saved  his  life,  but  his  cowardly  and  treacherous 
Miamis  had  betrayed  him  and  fled  to  the  enemy,  leaving 
him  to  battle  and  die  alone.  His  death  was  a  fitting 
close  to  a  heroic  and  honorable  life  and  the  name  of 
Capt.  William  Wells  will  ever  confer  lustre  on  the  list 
of  American  heroes. 

When  the  attack  was  made  Corporal  John  Simmons, 
from  his  position  near  the  great  cottomvood,  known  as 
the  "  Massacre  Tree,"  loaded  and  fired  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  and  more  than  one  dusky  warrior  bit  the  dust 
at  the  discharge  of  his  unerring  rifle,  but  the  contest  was 
too  unequal  to  continue  long.  When  too  closely  pressed 
to  load  and  fire  his  gun  he  clubbed  it  and  wielded  it  with 
tremendous  effect.  Finally  covered  with  wounds  he  fell 
to  rise  no  more.  The  vow  of  the  previous  night  had 
been  redeemed. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  49 

No  sooner  had  Mrs.  Simmons  seen  her  husband  fall 
beneath  the  blows  of  the  savages  surrounding  him  than 
she  realized  that  all  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  infuriated 
victors.  A  young  Indian,  tomahawk  in  hand,  climbed 
into  the  now  unguarded  wagon,  and  in  utter  disregard  of 
the  tears  and  importunities  of  Mrs.  Simmons  and  the 
other  women,  struck  his  bloody  weapon  into  the  heads 
of  every  child  within,  killing  them  instantly.  The  children 
unconscious  of  the  danger  which  beset  them  had  gayly 
enjoyed  the  ride  from  the  fort  until  the  fight  began. 
The  slaughter  of  these  innocents  was  one  of  the  most 
pathetic  and  fiendish  incidents  in  the  fearful  annals  of 
Indian  warfare. 

At  the  first  fire  from  the  Indians  Mrs.  Holt  was 
wounded  in  the  foot  and  was  rendered  unable  to  walk 
when  the  charge  was  made  upon  the  guard  protecting 
the  women  and  children.  The  savages  came  on  enrnassc 
firing  their  guns  and  uttering  hideous  yells.  The  horses 
harnessed  to  the  wagons  became  ungovernable  and  ran 
over  Mrs.  Holt,  trampling  her  to  death.  Mrs.  Bell  was 
also  severely  and  perhaps  fatally  wounded  and  finally 
tomahawked  to  death.  Her  husband,  a  soldier,  was 
slain  in  action,  leaving  little  Peter  Bell,  a  boy  six  years 
old,  the  lone  survivor  of  the  family,  a  prisoner  in  the 
hands  of  the  savages.  The  boy  was  fortunately  on  for)t 
and  thus  escaped  the  doom  which  fell  upon  all  within 
the  wagon.  Three  children  besides  those  in  the  wagon 
were  murdered  on  the  spot,  leaving  six  prisoners.  Of 
these  but  two  drifted  back  to  civilization,  Peter  Bell  and 
the  infant  babe  of  Mrs.  Simmons,  which  escaped  the  fate 
of  her  little  brother  and  the  other  children  by  being  held 
in  the  arms  of  her  mother  during  the  massacre. 


HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

No  sooner  had  the  savages  completed  the  destruction 
of  the  little,  force  guarding  the  baggage  train,  even 
to  the  last  man,  than  most  of  them  hastened  to  aid  in 
the  capture  of  Capt.  Heald,  who  with  his  party  was  now 
surrounded  by  an  overwhelming  force,  from  which  there 
was  no  possible  escape.  Realizing  this,  he  promptly 
surrendered,  and  the  little  band  was  marched  to  the 
captured  train,  where  all  were  closely  guarded  while  the 
soldiers  cared  for  their  wounded  and  disposed  of  their 
dead,  making  sure  that  the  whites  should  not  learn  the 
extent  of  their  loss,  which  was  considerable  considering 
the  disparity  in  numbers  of  the  combatants.  The  whites, 
however,  were  all  experienced  backwoods  riflemen  and 
did  terrible  execution  with  weapons  greatly  superior  to 
the  arms  of  the  savages,  thus  amply  avenging  their 
deaths  before  they  fell.  The  Indians,  not  yet  satisfied 
with  thzir  fiendish  barbarity,  now  proceeded  to  deliber- 
ately hack  and  mangle  to  death  five  of  the  captured  and 
disarmed  soldiers  in  the  most  diabolical  manner.  It  has 
been  surmised  that  this  vile  deed  was  done  to  make  the 
loss  of  the  whites  equal  their  own.  Whether  this  be 
true  or  false,  the  act  remains  one  of  the  most  infamous 
on  record.  For  the  purpose  of  distressing  the  other 
prisoners,  men,  women  and  children  were  compelled  to 
witness  this  horrible  butchery.  The  surviving  captives, 
as  they  beheld  this  deed,  almost  envied  their  tortured 
comrades  as  death  at  length  came  to  their  relief.  They 
could  reasonably  anticipate  a  like  fate,  unless  their 
heartless  captors  could  realize  more  ransom  money, 
whiskey  or  ammunition  for  their  lives  than  for  scalps, 
th2  life  itself  being  of  no  value  in  their  view.  Mrs. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  51 

Simmons  discovered  that  the  delight  of  the  savages  was 
much  enhanced  by  tormenting  their  prisoners  in  every 
conceivable  manner,  thus  almost  invariably  forcing  from 
them  manifestations  of  pain  or  anger  which  were  sweeter 
than  music  in  their  ears.  She  therefore  summoned  all 
her  marvelous  fortitude  to  prevent  any  expression  of  the 
anguish  which  was  crushing  her  great  soul.  She  had 
scarcely  thus  determined  until  her  resolution  was  put  to 
the  most  excrutiating  test.  The  Indians  collected  all 
the  murdered  children  and  laid  them  in  a  row  with  their 
faces  downward.  Two  burly  Indians  then  held  her  by 
the  arms  and  led  her  slowly  past  the  children,  expecting 
that  if  her  boy  was  one  of  the  number  she  would  make 
some  demonstration  at  the  sorrowful  sight.  But  al- 
though her  tearless  eyes  seemed  fastened  upon  her  dead 
darling's  flaxen  curls  now  matted  by  his  blood,  she 
passed  the  fearful  ordeal  and  made  no  sign.  Not  alone, 
nor  chiefly  did  considerations  born  of  pride  or  hatred 
control  her  in  this  apparently  stoical  indifference.  True, 
the  indignation  of  her  pure  womanhood  was  aroused  and 
fixed  forever  against  a  race  capable  of  such  hellish 
conduct,  but  to  save  if  possible  the  corpse  of  her  beauti- 
ful boy  from  farther  mutilation  and  her  little  girl  from  a 
life  with  these  monsters,  or  to  perish  as  the  last  resort 
with  it,  the  grand  heroism  nerved  her  to  bear  un- 
moved all  events,  and  during  the  entire  period  of  her 
captivity,  eight  long  months,  she  met  all  the  insults  and 
injuries  of  her  captors  with  defiance,  never  once  during 
that  period  paying  them  the  tribute  of  a  tear. 


52  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 


CHAPTER  IX. 


CAPTIVITY    AND    RANSOM. 

The  arms  and  ammunition  of  the  fallen  and  prisoners 
were  collected.  The  dead  were  stripped  of  everything 
of  value,  were  scalped  and  their  scalps  were  strung  on 
a  pole  and  carried  on  their  march  as  trophies  of  the 
campaign.  The  march  was  then  made  back  to  the  fort, 
where  the  Indians  camped  for  the  night,  and  feasted  on 
the  stores,  while  around  and  near  the  old  Massacre  Tree 
lay  stark  in  death  thirty-eight  soldiers,  twelve  children 
and  two  women,  the  mangled  trophies  of  their  infernal 
treachery  and  bloodthirstiness.  Never  was  a  memorial 
more  worthy  its  object,  and  never  were  noble  and  heroic 
deeds  more  appropriately  commemorated  than  by  the 
Pullman  monument.  Captain  William  Wells,  Corporal 
John  Simmons  and  the  other  soldiers  who  fell  on  that 
consecrated  spot  all  deserve  to  have  their  names  em- 
blazoned on  that  monument  as  brave  martyrs  to  the 
folly  of  their  officers. 

The  horrors  of  the  past  and  the  dread  of  the  future 
produced  for  Mrs.  Simmons  another  sleepless  night. 
Flushed  with  their  success  and  indulging  great  expecta- 
tions of  future  triumphs,  the  Indians  were  equally  wake- 
ful. In  the  morning  the  plunder  was  divided  and  the 
prisoners  were  separated,  some  going  to  the  Kankakce 
village,  some  to  Green  Bay,  and  some  to  Michigan. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  53 

After  moving  out  of  the  fort  it  was  set  on  fire  and 
burned,  and  the  line  of  march  for  the  respective  villages 
was  taken  up.  It  fell  to  the  lot  of  Mrs.  Simmons  to  go 
to  Green  Bay  and  her  captors  crossed  the  Chicago  river 
on  the  1 6th  of  August  and  started  for  home.  The 
weather  being  warm  and  pleasant  the  hardships  of  the 
journey  to  Mrs.  Simmons  consisted  mainly  in  being 
compelled  to  do  the  drudgery  of  the  Indians,  such  as 
gathering  fuel,  building  fires  and  preparing  food.  On 
the  march  she  walked  and  carried  her  babe,  the  entire 
distance  being  over  two  hundred  miles.  More  than  a 
week  was  employed  in  making  the  journey,  a  terrible 
week  to  our  heroine  who  was  sufficiently  acquainted  with 
the  customs  of  the  savages  to  anticipate  a  wild  scene 
upon  arrival  at  their  destination.  Her  fears  were 
abundantly  verified.  Swift  runners  heralded  the  ap- 
proach of  the  party  to  the  members  of  the  tribe  in  camp 
and  upon  the  first  glimpse  of  the  returning  column  the 
women  and  children  sallied  forth  to  meet  it.  Upon  the 
announcement  of  the  death  of  their  friends  they  com- 
menced a  fusilade  of  insult  upon  the  prisoners  in  every 
conceivable  manner,  such  as  spitting  in  their  faces,  pull- 
ing their  hair,  kicking  them  and  tormenting  them  in 
various  other  ways.  They  finally  reached  the  village 
where  the  prisoners  were  kept  under  close  guard  during 
the  night.  In  the  morning  the  village  was  early  astir. 
The  young  Indians  especially  were  abroad  and  clamoring 
in  a  way  that  boded  no  good  to  the  unfortunate  captives. 
Soon,  old  and  young,  male  and  female,  were  on  the  open 
ground  outside  the  circle  of  wigwams  and  formed  a  long 
double  line  reaching  to  the  verge  of  the  surrounding 


54  HEROES  AND    HEROINES 

pines.  The  prisoners  were  then  marched  to  one  end 
of  the  line  and  each  one  of  the  soldiers  was  compelled 
to  run  the  gauntlet  receiving  blows  from  the  women  and 
children  who  formed  the  line,  and  who  beat  them  with 
sticks,  switches  and  clubs.  Mrs.  Simmons  witnessed 
this  characteristic  exhibition  of  savage  cruelty  and  hoped 
that  her  sex  and  the  infant  she  held  in  her  arms  would 
exempt  her  from  the  cruel  ordeal;  but  to  her  dismay  she 
was  led  in  response  to  the  universal  clamor  to  the  start- 
ing point.  Looking  for  a  moment  in  horror  at  that  long 
line  of  women  and  children  armed  with  implements  of 
torture  and  eager  to  inflict  punishment  upon  the  pale- 
faced  squaw,  then  glancing  at  the  grim  warriors  looking 
on  with  apparent  delight  at  the  anxiety  manifested  by 
their  wives  and  children,  she  almost  lost  heart  for  a 
moment  and  instantly  realizing  that  in  all  the  sur- 
rounding multitude  there  was  not  a  heart  to  sym- 
pathize, not  a  hand  to  shield,  before  her  was  a  long 
double  line  of  savages  awaiting  her  approach  with 
uplifted  clubs,  all  seeking  to  excel  each  other  in  wound- 
ing and  bruising  their  victim.  It  was  an  awful  moment 
for  the  poor  woman  but,  as  she  had  often  done  before  in 
the  last  twelve  days,  when  overcome  with  grief  and 
almost  famished  with  hunger,  she  turned  her  face  to 
heaven  and  reposed  her  trust  in  her  creator,  her  only 
source  of  hope  and  consolation,  and  as  if  inspired  with 
superhuman  strength,  she  wrapped  the  blanket  about 
the  babe  that  was  clinging  to  her  bosom  for  protection, 
and  folding  it  in  her  strong  arms  to  protect  it  from  the 
cruel  blows  of  the  savages,  she  ran  rapidly  down  the 
line,  reaching  the  goal  bleeding  and  bruised,  but  with 
the  beloved  object  of  her  solicitude  unharmed. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  55 

Immediately  after  passing  the  gauntlet  Mrs.  Simmons 
was  astonished  to  receive  an  act  of  kindness  tor  the  first 
time  since  her  captivity  began.  An  elderly  squaw  took 
her  kindly  by  the  arm  and  led  her  into  a  wigwam, 
where  her  wounds  and  bruises  were  washed,  food  was 
given  her  and  she  was  permitted  to  lie  down  and  enjoy 
as  well  as  she  could  a  much  needed  rest.  This  kindness, 
so  opportunely  and  unexpectedly  extended  was  a  great 
solace  to  the  distressed  woman.  It  revived  her  drooping 
faith  and  courage  to  encounter  the  trials  yet  before  her. 
To  ordinary  view  her  situation  seemed  utterly  desperate. 
She  was  five  hundred  miles  from  friends,  the  only 
exception  being  the  poor  savage  who  had  befriended  her 
at  the  hazard  of  her  own  safety,  doubtless,  and  all  the 
intervening  territory  swarming  with  murderous  war 
parties  of  Indians.  Bereft  of  the  wise  council  and 
strong  support  of  her  husband,  she  had  been  taught  by 
her  bitter  experiences  to  rely  upon  the  All-wise  and 
Almighty  for  power  and  guidance. 

It  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  state  here  that  the  squaw 
who  so  agreeably  surprised  Mrs.  Simmons  with  her  kind 
offices  remained  her  friend  so  long  as  they  were  in  the 
same  camp.  Mrs.  Simmons  ever  after  spoke  of  her  as 
her  Indian  mother,  and  regretted  that  it  was  not  in  her. 
power  to  repay  her  for  the  many  favors  she  had  received 
from  her  hands.  It  was  a  matter  of  especial  regret  to 
her  that  she  had  forgotten  her  name.  Could  the  name 
and  history  of  this  noble- daughter  of  the  wilderness  have 
been  preserved  along  with  the  life  of  Black  Partridge, 
their  good  deeds  would  atone  somewhat  for  the  cruelties 
of  the  more  vicious  of  their  race. 


56  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

After  the  massacre  of  Fort  Dearborn  many  of  the 
more  blood-thirsty  young  savages  of  the  Pottawatomie 
tribe  hastened  east  to  participate  in  the  siege  of  Detroit 
and  Fort  Meigs,  the-  former  having  surrendered  to  the 
British  and  Indians  on  the  day  following  the  capture  of 
Fort  Dearborn.  Sometime  in  the  fall  of  1812  the 
warriors  of  Green  Bay  with  their  prisoners  left  Green 
Bay  and  marched  to  the  ruins  of  Fort  Dearborn,  thence 
around  the  end  of  lake  Michigan  and  up  to  Mackinac, 
which  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  British  and  Indians. 
It  was  winter  when  they  reached  Mackinac,  and  nego- 
tiations for  the  ransom  of  the  prisoners  were  opened. 
Mrs.  Simmons  and  her  babe  had  suffered  terribly  while 
on  the  journey  to  Mackinac.  Winter  had  come  on  and 
found  her  thinly  clad,  while  she  was  often  compelled  to 
seek  food  from  under  the  snow.  Still,  amid  all  her 
privations  and  hardships  the  heroic  woman  thought  only 
of  the  safety  and  comfort  of  her  child.  While  in  Green 
Bay  the  Indians  had,  by  various  devices,  attempted  to 
take  her  babe  from  her,  under  the  pretext  of  friendship. 
They  declared  they  would  relieve  her  from  the  burden 
of  its  care  and  would  rear  it  as  one  of  their  own  children. 
These  repeated  offers  and  their  unconditional  refusal 
led  the  mother  to  more  closely  watch  over  the  babe, 
never  permitting  her  to  pass  beyond  her  reach. 

After  many  refusals  a  chief  seized  the  child  by  the 
arm  and  attempted  to  drag  it  from  its  mother's  breast, 
at  the  same  time  brandishing  his  tomahawk  over  her 
head  with  violent  contortions  and  gesticulations,  and 
threatening  to  kill  her  instantly  unless  she  resigned  the 
infant.  With  a  look  of  disdain  and  defiance,  she  replied 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  57' 

to  his  ferocious  demonstrations  that  he  might  slay  her, 
but  separate  her  and  her  child,  never!  The  chief  finding 
her  spirit  unbroken  and  undismayed,  relaxed  his  hold 
upon  the  child,  and  kindly  though  firmly  said  to  Mrs. 
Simmons:  "Good  squaw;  heap  brave;  may  keep 
papoose."  This  was  the  last  effort  made  to  take  her 
babe  from  her,  though  she  maintained  a  vigilant  watch 
upon  it  while  she  remained  a  prisoner.  Neither  was  she 
farther  molested  in  caring  for  it,  save  that  the  Indians 
compelled  her  to  bathe  it  daily,  for  the  purpose,  as  they 
said,  of  washing  the  white  blood  out  of  its  veins. 

At  Mackinac  Mrs.  Simmons  was  much  encouraged  by 
the  hope  of  ransom  or  exchange,  and  in  order  to 
accomplish  release  on  some  terms  she  was  sent  in  mid- 
winter from  Mackinac  to  Detroit,  a  distance  of  over 
three  hundred  miles.  Deep  snows  with  occasional 
storms  and  blizzards  impeded  their  march,  which  was 
on  foot  through  a  trackless  wilderness.  But  for  the 
knowledge  Mrs.  Simmons  possessed  that  an  effort  was 
being  made  by  government  authorities  to  ransom  her 
and  her  child  and  that  every  step  she  now  took  led  her 
nearer  liberty  and  friends  she  must  have  sat  down  in 
despair.  Who  can  imagine  the  hidden  power  which  sus- 
tained the  poor  woman  as  she  trudged  along  from  day 
to  day  on  that  long  and  dreary  journey?  Her  clothing 
was  woefully  insufficient  and  in  tatters,  the  weather  was 
unendurable,  and  food  so  scarce  that  she  often  appeased 
hunger  by  eating  roots,  acorns  and  nuts  found  under  the 
snow.  Her  babe,  now  a  year  old,  had  much  increased 
in  weight,  yet  with  her  own  diminished  strength  she  was 
obliged  to  carry  it  in  her  arms  continually  while  she 
performed  the  camp  drudgery  for  the  Indians. 


58  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

In  the  latter  part  of  winter,  when  Mrs.  Simmons  with 
her  captors  reached  Detroit  they  found  that  post  in 
possession  of  the  British  and  Indians,  the  latter  having 
practical  control.  A  large  number  of  prisoners  were 
captured  by  these  allies  at  Frenchtown  on  the  river 
Raisin  in  January,  after  a  severe  battle.  Shortly  after, 
Gen.  Proctor,  the  British  general,  left  for  Maiden,  across 
the  Detroit  river,  when  the  Indians  butchered  part  of 
the  prisoners  in  cold  blood.  The  wounded  had  been 
collected  in  two  houses:  these  were  set  on  fire,  and  when 
such  of  the  prisoners  as  could  move  attempted  to  leave 
the  burning  buildings  they  were  pushed  back  into  the 
flames  by  the  savages  and  perished  there.  The  few  who 
were  not  butchered  or  burned  to  death,  were  marched 
as  slaves  to  Detroit  and,  dragged  through  the  streets, 
exposed  to  sale  as  such.  The  citizens  sacrificed  every- 
thing they  could  spare  to  ransom  them  from  this  pitiful 
fate.  Here  Mrs.  Simmons  saw  and  recognized  the 
savage  Pottawatomies,  and  learned  with  horror  of  their 
barbarities  at  Frenchtown,  and  that  the  entire  northwest 
was  in  possession  of  the  Indians.  She  had  fondly  hoped 
that  her  perils  would  end  when  she  reached  Detroit,  and 
expected  that  safety  which  it  is  the  boast  of  England 
prevails  beneath  the  British  flag,  but  soon  realized  that 
the  English  officers  had  little  disposition  to  restrain  the 
cruelty  of  the  Indians.  From  Detroit  she  was  taken  to 
Fort  Meigs,  and  on  the  journey  witnessed  the  destruction 
effected  by  the  savages.  Late  in  March  she  arrived  at 
Fort  Meigs;  which  was  in  command  of  Gen.  Harrison, 
who  was  laboring  day  and  night  to  strengthen  the  forti- 
fication against  the  expected  attack  from  the  British  and 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  59 

Indians.  Here  Mrs.  Simmons  was  set  at  liberty  among 
friends  and  joyfully  learned  that  a  supply  train  had  just 
arrived  from  Cincinnati,  and  would  immediately  return 
under  a  strong  escort.  The  train  was  to  pass  on  return 
within  a  few  miles  of  her  home  in  Miami  county,  Ohio. 
She  was  still  two  hundred  miles  from  home,  the  streams 
were  swollen,  the  swamps  covered  with  water,  the  roads 
deep  in  mud  and  slush,  and  the  weather  chilly,  all 
combined  making  the  journey  disagreeable.  But  Mrs. 
Simmons  contrasted  it  with  her  recent  experience,  and 
decided  that  after  traveling  nearly  400  miles,  from 
Mackinac  to  Fort  Meigs,  through  fierce  storms  and  bitter 
cold,  poorly  clad,  almost  starved,  bearing  night  and  day 
the  growing  burden  of  her  child,  a  slave  to  savage  brutes, 
and  forced  to  plod  every  step  of  the  long  way  on  feet 
almost  bare,  swollen  and  bleeding,  the  present  trip  was 
a  delightful  pleasure  excursion.  She  was  now  among 
friends,  with  no  great  apprehension  of  danger  from  ene- 
mies, warmly  wrapped  in  blankets  and  sheltered  in  a 
comfortable  government  wagon,  enjoying  plenty  of 
civilized  food,  and  conscious  that  each  day's  march 
brought  her  nearer  her  longed  for  destination. 

On  a  day  about  the  middle  of  April,  1813,  the  train 
passed  four  miles  south  of  her  home.  Here  she  left  the 
wagons  and  escort  with  many  heart-felt  thanks  for  the 
kindness  shown  her  on  the  march,  and  taking  her  babe 
in  her  arms  walked  swiftly  along  a  dim  path  through  the 
forest.  The  country  was  infested  with  predatory  scalp- 
ing bands  of  Indians,  ready  to  pounce  upon  defenseless 
travelers  or  isolated  settlers  for  plunder  or  revenge. 
But  the  thoughts  of  the  lone  woman  were  busy  with 


6O  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

retrospect  of  the  eventful  past,  rather  than  with  forebod- 
ings of  the  future.  Every  step  was  bringing  her  nearer 
the  home  which  she  had  left  two  years  before  in  com- 
pany with  her  young  soldier  husband  and  their  first  born, 
little  David.  During  the  short  journey  to  the  dear  home 
what  pictures  rose  before  her  mental  vision.  The  march 
of  the  little  family  through  the  woods,  the  rumbling  of 
the  coming  storm,  the  heart-sickening  details  •  of  the 
evacuation  and  the  massacre  of  the  soldiers,  death  of  her 
brave  husband,  the  slaughter  of  the  innocents,  David 
among  them,  the  awful  death  of  the  captured  soldiers, 
the  fearful  gauntlet,  the  exhausting  marches  through  ex- 
treme cold,  blinding  storms  and  freezing  mud  and  water, 
the  miseries  of  starvation,  and  if  it  were  possible  to 
represent  it,  over  all  and  through  all  the  anxiety  which 
knew  neither  palliation  or  cessation.  As  her  heart  burned 
within  her  at  the  remembrance  of  these  experiences  she 
found  herself  at  the  door  of  the  blockhouse.  To  the 
inmates  she  appeared  as  one  risen  from  the  dead,  for 
they  had  long  before  resigned  themselves  to  the  belief 
that  the  entire  family  of  their  son  had  fallen.  The 
mutual,  mingled  feelings  of  grief,  joy,  thankfulness  and 
sympathy,  may  well  be  left  to  the  imagination  of  our 
readers  without  attempted  description.  It  was  long 
before  the  terrible  tidings  became  an  old  story  in 
recital,  and  as  for  the  narrator  herself,  her  long  repressed 
emotions  were  so  completely  broken  down  by  the  return 
that  to  use  her  own  language,  she  "did  nothing  but 
weep  for  months." 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  6 I 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE    MASSACRE    OF    NEIGHBORS,    HER    ONLY    SISTER  AMONG 

THEM. 

Arrived  at  home  Mrs.  Simmons  hoped  that  her  trials 
were  over,  but  she  was  soon  to  be  terribly  undeceived. 
Her  only  sister  married  a  Henry  Dilbone  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pa.,  and  they  emigrated  to  Ohio  in  1807,  settling 
near  the  Simmons  blockhouse  where  they  opened  a  small 
farm.  Here  in  the  summer  of  1813  they  were  living 
happily  with  their  family  of  small  children.  Occasion- 
ally an  alarm  of  Indian  raids  caused  them  to  take  tem- 
porary shelter  in  the  blockhouse.  The  situation  in  the 
northwest  was  truly  gloomy.  The  barbarities  of  the 
Indians  and  their  British  allies  at  Mackinac,  Dearborn, 
Detroit,  Frenchtown,  the  river  Raisin,  and  Fort  Meigs, 
where  prisoners  fell  into  their  hands  had  brought  mourn- 
ing to  almost  every  family.  Many  women  and  children 
had  been  carried  away  into  slavery.  So  far  the  savages 
had  been  successful  in  almost  every  engagement.  They 
were  therefore  frenzied  with  daring  and  cruelty.  It  had 
become  a  war  of  extermination  on  both  sides,  and  the 
lives  of  friendly  Indians  were  often  sacrificed  by  the 
enraged  frontiersmen  in  retaliation  for  crimes  committed 
by  the  hostiles.  Many  camps  of  peaceable  savages 
existed  all  through  the  settlements,  and  their  inmates 
were  compelled  to  endure  many  hardships  as  it  was  not 
safe  for  them  to  go  abroad  to  hunt  or  s:ek  food. 


62  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

At  this  time  there  was  an  Indian  camp  at  Piqua  on 
the  Miami  river,  and  others  in  the  vicinity.  About  the 
middle  of  August,  1813,  three  or  four  Indians  in  a  canoe 
dropped  down  the  river  to  near  the  mouth  of  Spring 
creek,  where  they  were  seen  late  in  the  evening  by  Dr. 
Coleman,  of  Troy,  and  from  this  action  were  supposed  to 
be  a  fishing  party.  On  the  following  day,  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  fired  on  and  killed  David 
Gerard,  near  his  residence,  about  two  miles  north  of  the 
mouth  of  Spring  creek.  Having  secured  his  scalp  they 
fled  north  about  four  miles  to  the  Dilbone  farm.  Henry 
Dilbone  and  his  family  were  at  some  distance  from  the 
house  in  a  field,  which  was  surrounded  by  woods  on 
three  sides,  engaged  in  pulling  flax,  from  which  to  make 
clothing  for  the  household.  Adjoining  the  flax  patch 
was  a  small  field  of  corn  within  which  an  Indian  had 
secreted  himself,  waiting  an  opportunity  to  slay  the  entire 
family.  The  sinking  sun  casting  its  lurid  glare  on  the 
surrounding  forest,  and  the  evening  shades  fast  settling 
down  upon  that  sultry  August  day,  warned  the  tired 
laborers  that  their  day's  work  was  nearly  completed. 
Little  did  they  dream  how  near  the  end  of  their  earthly 
toil  approached.  Their  faithful  dog  discovered  the 
savage  lying  in  wait,  gave  the  alarm  and  almost  simul- 
taneously with  his  loud  bark  a  gun  was  discharged,  Mr. 
Dilbone  receiving  a  ball  from  the  rifle  of  the  Indian  in 
his  breast.  The  assassin  at  the  same  instant  sprang 
from  his  place  of  concealment  and  rushed  forward  to 
tomakawk  and  scalp  his  victim,  but  Mr.  Dilbone  as 
quickly  recovered  from  the  shock  and  ran  rapidly  south, 
leaping  over  the  fence  into  the  thick  brush  bordering  a 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  63 

swamp  where  he  fell.  The  savage  abandoned  the  pursuit 
of  Mr.  Dilbone,  perhaps  not  aware  of  the  severity  of  his 
wound,  being  deceived  by  his  speed,  now  turned  his 
attention  to  Mrs.  Dilbone,  who  at  a  glance  saw  the 
situation  and  fled  into  the  corn  on  the  west  for  conceal- 
ment, but  was  overtaken  by  the  fiendish  savage.  A 
single  blow  from  his  tomahawk  felled  her  to  the  earth, 
where,  after  taking  her  scalp,  he  left  her  weltering  in  her 
blood. 

During  the  time  in  which  this  terrible  tragedy  was 
being  enacted,  the  four  little  children  were  horrified 
witnesses,  and  momentarily  expected  the  same  fate. 
The  eldest  son,  John,  being  less  than  ten  years  of  age, 
took  his  little  brother,  now  in  his  seventh  month,  in  his 
arms  and  set  out  for  the  house,  but  being  encumbered 
with  the  babe  and  his  little  sisters  who  were  but  three 
and  four  years  old,  made  slow  progress  over  the  rough 
ground.  They  had  gotten  but  a  little  way  when  the 
fiend  left  his  other  victims  and  started  toward  them. 
But  to  the  report  of  his  own  gun,  the  continued  barking 
of  the  dog  and  the  screams  of  Mrs.  Dilbone,  was  now 
added  the  report  of  another  fire  arm  a  short  distance 
away,  which  so  alarmed  the  Indian  that  he  instantly  fled 
into  the  the  deep  forest  leaving  his  rifle  and  blanket 
where  he  had  dropped  them  in  pursuit  of  his  victims. 
He  then,  as  stated  in  the  History  of  Ohio,  "hastened 
north  to  receive  the  bounty  for  his  scalps  from  the 
British  authorities."  More  probably,  from  the  agents 
of  the  British  Hudson  Bay  Company.  The  fact  that 
the  savage  fled  without  his  gun  is  evidence  that  he  was 
terribly  alarmed,  and  this  belief  in  his  imminent  peril 


64  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

was  the  salvation  of  the  helpless  children.  The  neigh- 
bors were  speedily  alarmed  and  collecting  at  once  went 
in  quest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dilbone,  accompanied  by  the 
eldest  son  as  a  guide.  The  dead  body  of  Mrs.  Dilbone 
was  found  which,  with  the  children,  was  taken  to  the 
Simmons  blockhouse  for  safety.  In  ignorance  of  the 
number  of  the  assailants  and  fearing  an  ambuscade, 
darkness  having  already  settled  upon  the  dense  forest, 
farther  search  for  Mr.  Dilbone  was  postponed  until  the 
following  morning  when  a  company  of  militia,  under 
Capt.  Wm.  McKinney,  which  had  rallied  at  the  Sim- 
mons blockhouse  during  the  night,  started  with  the 
rising  sun  in  search  of  the  wounded  man.  In  searching 
the  neighboring  woods  the  company  passed  so  near  him 
that  he  saw  and  heard  them.  As  the  rear  soldier,  Jacob 
Simmons,  was  passing  by  where  he  lay,  Mr.  Dilbone 
cried  out  in  the  accents  of  despair,  "  For  God's  sake, 
don't  all  pass  me  again!  "  The  poor  man  lay  just  where 
he  had  first  fallen,  so  exhausted  that  he  was  unable  to 
rise  or  make  any  outcry  audible  to  his  son  and  the  party 
which  on  the  previous  evening  removed  the  body  of  his 
wife,  and  whom  he  heard  distinctly.  All  night  he  had 
lain  between  two  oaks,  one  of  which  has  been  spared  by 
time  and  the  woodman  and  still  stands,  a  living  monu- 
ment to  the  memory  of  Henry  Dilbone.  How  little  can 
the  men  of  this  generation  realize  the  dreadful  anguish 
under  that  veteran  oak  during  that  awful  August  night. 
Uncertainty  regarding  the  fate  of  his  loved  and  helpless 
family  prompted  him  to  rise  and  drag  himself  to  them. 
Failing  utterly  in  this  attempt,  he  strove  to  staunch  the 
streaming  wound  in  his  bosom.  Tortured  with  the 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  65 

agony  of  pain  and  consuming  thirst,  he  could  only  lie  help- 
less and  well  nigh  hopeless  and  wait  for  the  morning. 
Beside  such  anguish  of  body  and  mind  how  trivial  seem 
many  of  our  loudly  lamented  calamities. 

The  almost  unconscious  man  was  borne  to  the  block 
house,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  to  summon  the  dis- 
tinguished Dr.  Coleman  from  Troy — the  only  surgeon 
then  residing  in  Miami  county,  who  came  and  attended 
the  dying  sufferer  until  the  following  day  when  he  expired 
in  the  presence  of  his  children. 

It  was  a  sad  coincidence  when  the  dead  and  mangled 
body  of  the  only  sister  of  Mrs.  Simmons  was  brought  to 
the  Simmons  homestead  on  the  first  anniversary  of  the 
murder  of  her  husband  and  son  and  her  own  capture. 
Surely  her  vivid  remembrance  of  the  events  of  the 
massacre  and  consequent  captivity  had  been  sufficiently 
bitter  without  this  final  draught  of  the  cup  of  sorrow  on 
the  first  recurrence  of  the  black  day.  Mrs.  Simmons 
and  the  other  inmates  of  the  blockhouse  had  been  in- 
formed by  a  runner  of  the  hellish  deed  and  awaited  the 
coming  of  the  mournful  procession  which  bore  the  mortal 
remains  of  her  beloved  sister  accompanied  by  her  four 
small  orphan  children.  Another  coincidence  connecting 
this  transaction  with  her  own  sad  story  which  profoundly 
impressed  Mrs.  Simmons  was  the  fact  of  the  babe  in  its 
seventh  month  being  bereft  of  its  parents  as  her  own 
infant  had  been  robbed  of  its  father  a  year  before  at  the 
same  tender  age.  That  night  of  sorrow  was  a  painful 
vigil  for  Mrs.  Simmons.  Her  only  sister,  beloved  as  a 
cherished  companion  for  almost  a  life  time,  lay  a  bloody 
corpse  in  the  house.  The  cries  of  bereaved  children,  her 


66  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

own  thoughts  mingling  ghastly  memories  with  well- 
founded  forebodings  of  future  outrages  from  the  savages 
believed  to  be  prowling  in  the  neighborhood,  together 
with  the  agonizing  uncertainty  regarding  the  fate  of  her 
wounded  brother-in-law,  all  combined  to  render  the 
watch  of  the  terribly  tried  woman  the  extremity,  of 
mental  torture. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dilbone  were  buried  near  where  they  fell, 
a  few  feet  north  of  the  section  line,  five  miles  east  of 
Piqua  on  the  turnpike  and  old  military  road  over  which 
a  stream  of  emigrants  have  passed  for  more  than  eighty 
years,  unconscious  that  they  trod  upon  the  unmarked 
graves  of  these  martyrs  to  civilization. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  67 


CHAPTER  XI. 


AT    REST 

During  the  years  of  peace  and  rural  plenty  which 
followed  the  eventful  era  of  exploration  and  conquest 
the  infant  child  of  Mrs.  Simmons,  whose  life  morning 
opened  so  wild  and  ominous,  grew  to  womanhood  and 
became  a  happy  wife  and  mother.  Her  husband,  Moses 
Winans,  settled  in  Shelby  county,  Ohio,  when  her  aged 
mother  took  up  her  residence  in  her  daughter's  family. 
In  1853,  Mrs.  Simmons  removed  with  the  Winans  family 
to  Springville,  Linn  county,  Iowa,  where  she  died, 
February  27th,  1857,  at  the  mature  age  of  eighty  years. 

The  friends  of  Mrs.  Simmons  applied  for  and  secured 
a  pension  for  her,  but  she  only  received  one  payment, 
the  pitiful  sum  of  thirty  dollars.  The  reason  for  the 
suspension  of  this  payment  was  never  known  to  her. 

In  all  the  annals  ol  the  race  no  grander  exhibition  of 
courage,  devotion  and  fortitude  can  be  found.  No 
Spartan  mother  could  have  more  effectually  fortified  her 
feelings  against  expression,  when  the  slightest  manifesta- 
tion of  weakness  had  been  fatal.  Upon  this  lone  woman 
culminated  all  the  horrors  which  the  most  ingenious 
tortures  could  devise,  while  she  endured  so  well  the 
extremity  of  mental  anguish,  yet  these  almost  incredible 
sufferings  could  not  force  from  her  proud,  heroic  spirit 
the  tribute  of  a  solitary  tear  to  her  tormentors.  She 


68  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

passed  the  awful  ordeal  unscathed  from  dishonor  or 
weakness  and  is  entitled  to  a  leading  place  among  Amer- 
ican Heroines. 

A  few  words  may  be  properly  devoted  at  this  place  to 
a  character  previously  introduced  and  well  worthy 
mention  on  account  of  his  exemplary  and  useful  life. 
Tom  Rodgers  passed  the  three  years  of  the  war  in  the 
woods  scouting  and  watching  the  movements  of  the 
Indians.  He  slept  in  the  houses  of  settlers  only  in  very 
cold  weather.  After  the  war  he  built  for  himself  a  small 
cabin  in  the  forest  on  the  banks  of  Spring  Creek,  in  the 
vicinity  of  which  he  spent  his  life  alone,  hunting  to  sup- 
ply himself  with  food  and  clothing,  until  about  1850, 
when  he  became  feeble  from  age  and  was  taken  to  the 
county  asylum,  near  Troy,  where  he  died  a  year  or  two 
later.  The  service  which  he  rendered  daring  the  war  so 
endeared  Tom  Rodgers  to  the  settlers  that  he  was  at  all 
times  a  welcome  guest,  but  he  very  seldom  took  advan- 
tage of  their  generosity,  preferring  the  life  of  a  hermit. 
He  lived  more  than  the  allotted  three  score  years  and 
ten-  -a  life  which  experienced  the  marvelous  transition 
from  the  unbroken  solitudes  of  a  trackless  wilderness  to 
the  perfect  civilization  of  a  mighty  commonwealth. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  69 


CHAPTER  XII. 


AWAITING    THE    END. 

Mrs.  Winans  has  unquestionably  for  many  years  been 
the  sole  survivor  of  the  Fort  Dearborn  massacre.  Cer- 
tainly for  more  than  thirty  years  has  this  claim  been 
true.  It  is  also  almost  certain  that  she  was  the  only 
person  born  there  who  escaped  death  on  that  fatal  day, 
Peter  Bell  being  the  only  competitor  for  this  distinction 
with  the  weight  of  evidence  in  her  favor. 

In  the  number  of  the  "Illustrated  Pacific  States"  for 
June,  1893,  the  following  article  with  an  excellent  cut 
of  the  subject  appears,  contributed  by  Mrs.  Florence  M. 
Kimball. 

"It  is  interesting  to  know  that  there  is  now  living  the 
first  white  child  born  in  the  famous  city  by  the  lakes. 
Mrs.  Susan  Winans  of  Santa  Ana,  Orange  county,  Cali- 
fornia, enjoys  this  distinction.  When  old  Fort  Dearborn 
was  standing  on  the  site  of  one  of  the  greatest  cities  on 
the  American  continent,  and  savage  Indians  held  supreme 
sway,  Susan  Simmons  first  saw  the  light  in  that  historic 
fort. 

"  Her  father,  John  Simmons,  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth, 
married  Miss  Susan  Millhouse,  also  a  Pennsylvanian. 
He  enlisted  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  sent  to  the 
frontier,  Fort  Dearborn.  While  on  a  furlough  he  visited 
his  young  wife  and  persuaded  her  to  return  with  him, 


/O  HEROES    AND    HEROINES" 

taking  with  them  their  little  two-year  old  son,  David. 
On  February  I3th,  1812,  Susan  was  born.  The  dis- 
comforts and  trials  of  the  young  mother,  surrounded  by 
hostile  Indians,  and  the  life  of  her  husband  constantly 
endangered,  can  never  be  told.  Her  devotion  to  her 
family  and  wonderful  heroism  sustained  her;  even  when 
in  the  following  August  her  husband  and  little  son  were 
killed  at  the  terrible  Indian  massacre,  and  she,  with  her 
infant,  Susan,  were  taken  prisoners,  she  still  maintained 
her  courageous  bearing.  In  April  of  the  next  year  an 
exchange  was  effected,  and  the  bereaved  mother  and  little 
daughter  returned  to  the  parental  roof  in  Ohio.  In  1828 
Susan  Simmons  was  married  to  Mr.  M.  P.  Winans.  Nine 
children  were  born  to  them,  six  of  whom  are  living,  three 
in  Orange  count)',  Cal.,  and  three  in  Iowa,  to  which  state 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winans  moved  in  1853.  Born  in  the  midst 
of  dangers,  her  life  has  been  one  of  heroic  acts,  noble 
sacrifices  and  gentle,  womanly  deeds  of  love  and  kind- 
ness. Although  eighty-thres  years  of  age,  she  might  easily 
be  taken  for  sixty;  her  handwriting  is  that  of  a  much 
younger  person,  and  all  her  faculties  are  unimpaired. 
Enveloped  in  the  domestic  sunshine  of  her  daughter's 
happy  home,  Grandma  Winans'  declining  years  are  made 
bright  and  pleasant  by  its  members.  The  children  of 
the  neighborhood  love  her  as  if  she  were  their  own.  I 
visited  her  on  May  Day  and  found  the  vine-embowered 
cottage  porch  gay  with  May  baskets  left  by  the  little 
ones,  with  the  message,  "For  Grandma." 

"Anxious  that  Mrs.  Winans  should  be  represented 
either  in  the  Woman's  building  at  Chicago,  or  the  recon- 
structed Fort  Dearborn,  I  have  made  partial  arrangement 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  /I 

for  a  life-size  crayon  portrait  to  be  made  by  her  grand- 
daughter, who  is  a  fine  artist.  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer  has 
asked  for  the  glass  of  jelly  made  by  her,  and  placed  by 
the  citizens  of  Santa  Ana  on  a  handsome  silver  stand, 
for  the  Woman's  building.  In  reply  to  the  -question  if 
she  would  not  like  to  visit  the  Exposition,  she  replied, 
with  a  smile  of  satisfaction:  '  Oh,  no;  I  have  lived  in 
the  delightful  climate  of  Southern  California  too  long  to 
be  willing  to  encounter  the  storms  of  the  East.'  " 

"Such,  in  brief, "  concludes  an  article  in  the  San 
Francisco  JLvcning  Chronicle  of  corresponding  date  with 
the  issue  of  the  Illustrated  Pacific  States,  "  is  the  life 
history  of  the  first  white  child  born  in  Chicago. "  And 
this  humble  sketch  may  fittingly  conclude  in  the  graphic 
language  of  another  review  of  this  eventful  life: 

"  In  winterless  California  one  of  the  most  notable 
vestiges  of  the  formative  life  of  the  nation  abides  in 
peace  and  quiet  the  inevitable  change.  Into  her  infant 
ears  dinned  the  reveille  of  camp  and  the  war  hoop  of  the 
savage;  her  innocent  eyes  beheld  father  and  brother  fall 
in  awful  death.  At  a  mother's  breast  she  clung  close 
that  no  club  might  bruise  her  tender  frame.  From  that 
terrible  dream  of  destruction  and  death  to  the  vast 
Chicago,  hostess  of  the  nations  in  her  peerless  palaces 
by  the  illuminated  lake,  from  the  awful  glare  of  the 
burning  fort  upon  its  unburied  victims  to  the  dazzling 
lights  of  Fairyland,  from  the  temporary  triumph  of 
savagery  to  the  eternal  victory  of  the  arts  of  civilization 
spans  the  extent  of  this  phenomenal  life." 


72  HEROES  AND    HEROINES 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    POTTAWATOMIE    TRIBE. 

To  perfect  this  narrative  a  brief  history  of  the  Potta- 
watomie  Indians  is  essential.  They  are  of  Algonquin 
stock,  crafty  and  hardy,  possessing  strong  passions  and 
as  enemies  are  fierce  and  relentless.  The  establishment 
of  Fort  Dearborn  in  the  center  of  their  territory  in  1 803 
excited  their  jealousy.  Gen.  Harmer  had  penetrated  to 
the  border  of  their  domain  and  laid  the  country  waste 
in  the  fall  of  1790.  In  November,  1791,  Gen.  St.  Clair 
had  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  Indian  villages  for  the 
purpose  of  destroying  them.  In  1 794  General  Wayne 
killed  many  of  their  warriors  and  laid  the  country  waste 
early  in  the  fall.  In  November,  1811,  Gen.  Harrison 
defeated  the  Indians  at  Tippecanoe  and  destroyed  the 
village  with  the  food  provided  for  the  winter.  These 
campaigns,  although  not  uniformly  successful,  entailed 
great  hardships  upon  the  Indians.  The  destruction  of 
their  winter  supplies  at  the  approach  of  cold  weather 
was  exceedingly  exasperating.  These  events  recalled  to 
their  minds  by  the  firey  eloquence  of  Tecumseh  became 
more  provocation  for  war  at  each  fresh  recital.  The 
Pottawatomies  had  long  waited  for  the  opportunity 
which  now  presented  itself  to  seek  revenge  for  these 
wrongs  and  to  drive  the  Americans  from  their  territory. 
The  remembrance  of  the  excesses  perpetrated  by  vicious 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  75 

whites  upon  peaceable  Indians  added  to  the  natural 
resentment  of  the  fierce  tribes.  It  is  therefore  not  to  be 
deemed  surprising  in  view  of  the  peculiarities  of  Indian 
character  that  the  atrocities  of  Dearborn,  Frenchtown, 
Meigs  and  Detroit  should  have  been  committed. 

We  have  written  the  bloody  record  of  the  Pottawato- 
mies  as  we  found  it,  but  desiring  to  do  the  tribe  justice, 
we  note  with  pleasure  the  good  deeds  of  Black  Partridge 
and  the  noble  Indian  mother  to  whose  care  and  kindness 
Mrs.  Simmons  probably  owed  her  life  and  the  life  of  her 
child,  and  through  the  efforts  of  the  chief  her  restoration 
to  her  friends.  Black  Partridge  deserves  more  than  a 
passing  notice  for  his  timely  warning  to  the  doomed 
garrison  and  his  heroic  efforts  to  save  the  lives  of  the 
whites  on  the  battle  field  at  the  hazard  of  his  own.  His 
identity  concealed  beneath  war  paint,  he  was  liable  to 
be  shot  down  by  those  whom  he  endeavored  to  save. 
There  may  have  been  others  as  noble  as  those  we  have 
mentioned  whose  names  will  forever  remain  buried  in 
oblivion.  Later  in  the  history  of  Chicago  and  northern 
Illinois,  Chief  Shabbona  was  prominent  as  an  advocate 
for  peace.  He  stood  by  the  side  of  Tecumseh  when 
that  warrior  fell,  and  soon  after  became  the  fast  friend 
of  the  whites  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to 
sincere  efforts  to  maintain  peace  between  the  settlers 
and  Indians,  and  between  the  several  tribes.  Pokanoka, 
squaw  of  Chief  Shabbona,  faithfully  seconded  him  in  his 
labor  of  love  and  mercy.  The  lives  of  many  of  the 
earlier  settlers  were  saved  by  the  timely  warning  given 
them  by  these  noble  missionaries  of  mercy. 


74  HEROES    AND    HEROINES 

There  are  a  few  Pottawatomies  in  Michigan,  a  few  in 
Nebraska,  Wisconsin  and  the  Indian  territory,  but  the 
majority  of  the  tribe,  consisting  of  the  Prairie  Band, 
reside  on  their  reservation  in  Jackson  county,  Kansas. 
This  reservntion  is  twelve  miles  square.  They  pay  no 
taxes  and  maintain  their  tribal  relation.  The  United 
States  government  sustains  a  very  extensive  boarding 
school  here.  During  the  last  quarter  of  1895  eighty- 
nine  boys  and  fifty-four  girls  from  the  Pottawatomie  tribe 
also  attended  Haskell  Institute,  an  Indian  Training 
School  maintained  at  Lawrence,  Kansas,  by  the  general 
government.  A  school  is  also  in  operation  in  Nebraska 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Pottawatomies.  They  have  now 
standing  to  their  credit  on  the  books  of  the  Interior 
Department  at  Washington  a  total  of  $635,816.28. 
Thus  whatever  were  the  provocations  furnished  by  the 
whites  to  inspire  the  cruelties  of  the  Pottawatomies  in 
the  remote  past,  it  is  obvious  that  the  surviving  members 
of  the  tribe  are  in  receipt  of  especial  favors  from  the 
pale  faces  of  the  present  time.  These  figures  also 
contrast  with  the  pitiful  sums  paid  by  the  same  gov- 
ernment to  the  brave  men  who  left  homes  and  families 
exposed  to  the  assaults  of  the  merciless  savages  and 
from  whose  sacrifices  and  sufferings  sprang  the  mighty 
empire  of  the  northwest.  While  the  descendants 
of  the  butchers  of  Fort  Dearborn  are  lavishly  pro- 
vided for  by  the  government,  it  is  not  too  much  to 
expect  that  the  memories  of  the  men  and  women  who 
planted  the  outposts  of  civilization  and  defended  them 
with  their  blood  and  lives  shall  be  held  in  everlasting 
remembrance  by  the  millions  who  shall  occupy  the  fair 
heritage  these  heroic  pioneers  won  from  the  wilderness. 


FORT    DEARBORN    MASSACRE.  75 

The  tribe  touches  by  one  link  the  period  of  the  massa- 
cre. The  present  chief,  Shaugh-nes-see,  was  born  on 
the  Kankakee  in  1812.  His  grandfather,  Suna-we-wone, 
was  in  command  of  the  Pottawatomies  at  the  Fort 
Dearborn  fight.  His  father,  Wab-sai  was  also  a  par- 
ticipant in  the  slaughter  of  the  garrison.  Shaugh-nes- 
see  lives  on  the  tribal  reservation  in  Jackson  county, 
Kansas.  In  a  recent  interview  with  him,  he  stated  in 
reply  to  questions  that  the  evening  before  the  battle  a 
white  man  (meaning  probably  Capt.  Wells)  who  had  been 
raised  by  Indians  rode  into  the  stockade,  and  that  he 
tried  to  escape  the  next  day  but  was  killed  by  the 
savages.  Also  that  a  party  of  soldiers  escaped  to  a 
mound  but  were  captured  and  killed.  To  the  question 
as  to  the  number  and  disposition  of  prisoners  taken,  he 
believed  that  no  captives  were  taken,  the  entire  garrison 
having  been  slain.  He  had  understood  that  the  treach- 
ery of  the  officers  in  destroying  the  stores  of  the  fort 
was  one  of  the  main  causes  of  the  massacre.  All  these 
statements  were  of  course  founded  upon  the  traditions 
of  the  tribe  often  repeated  in  the  hearing  of  the  chief, 
and  furnished  an  illustration  of  the  reliability  of  such 
evidence  as  the  sole  support  of  history. 


N.   SIMMONS,   M.   D. 

Proprietor  of  Simmons  Liver  Tablets  or  Ginger  Snaps. 


The  following  extract  is  from  the  Select  Friend  the  organ  of  the  order 
of  that  name: 

"The  Doctor  has  been  one  of  the  leading  Physicians  of  Lawrence  for 
many  years.  He  is  also  one  of  our  most  reliable  citizens.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Legislature;  Mayor  of  our  city;  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Health,  Coroner;  County  Health  Officer;  President  and  Secre- 
tary successively  of  the  State  Medical  Association,  etc.;  and  has  always 
acquitted  himself  with  credit  in  whatever  position  he  has  been  called. 
His  Tablets  were  first  made  to  use  in  his  practice  but  soon,  by  reason  of 
their  intrinsic  merit,  acquired  a  local  reputation,  and  for  several  years 
their  use  has  been  gradually  extended  until  now  their  manufacture  and 
sale  has  become  a  business  of  considerable  magnitude.  We  know  of 
families  who  would  not  think  of  keeping  house  without  them." 


THK  HUMAN  SYSTEM. 


By  the  harmonious  action  of  this  mechanism  it  is  constantly  renewing 
itself.  Worn,  effete  material  is  eliminated  by  the  excretory  organs,  while 
fresh  supplies  are  prepared  and  assimilated  to  take  its  place.  If  the 
equilibrum  between  these  functions  is  disturbed,  and  elimination  proceeds 
rapidly,  while  assimilation  is  suspended,  the  system  becomes  emaciated 
and  blood  impoverished,  resulting  in  anemia,  vertigo,  neuralgia,  cramps, 
nervous  headache  indigestion,  constipation,  paresis,  paralysis,  palpita- 
tion, irregular  action  of  the  liver,  kidneys,  skin,  brain  and  heart,  with 
horrid  mental  forebodings  and  fleeting  pains  in  all  parts  of  the  body. 

To  attempt  to  correct  this  condition  with  active  cathartics,  only  in- 
creases the  danger,  by  hastening  excretion  and  farther  impairing  assimila- 
tion. To  attempt  this  correction  with  opiate  or  alcoholic  narcotics  is 
equally  fallacious,  for  while  excretion  is  delayed,  assimilation  is  also  im- 
paired, and  life  endangered  by  the  retention  of  the  morbid  material. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  excretion  is  retarded  and  assimilation  active, 
perversion  of  the  blood  follows.  The  process  of  the  renewal  of  life  is 
arrested,  colonies  of  microbes  find  lodgment  in  the  accumulated  detritis 
which  clog  the  free  circulation  of  the  blood,  resulting  in  congestion,  tu- 
berculosis, scroffula,  eczema,  tumors,  cancers,  consumption,  epilepsy, 
paralysis,  apoplexy,  rheumatism,  gout,  dropsy  and  Bright's  disease, 
with  blood  poison  and  physical  degeneration  of  the  brain,  lungs,  heart, 
liver,  stomach  and  kidneys. 

The  proper  remedies  to  employ  are  those  that  vitalize  all  of  the  func- 
tions of  the  system,  and  restore  lost  action  of  the  stomach  and  bowels, 
strengthen  and  energize  the  brain  and  nervous  system,  stimulate  the  liver 
aai  kidneys,  and  give  force  to  the  heart  and  circulaton  of  the  blood, 
thereby  relieving  congestion  and  preventing  the  development  of  the 
many  dangerous  diseases  above  enumerated  before  organic  disintegra- 
tion has  proeeded  too  far  to  admit  of  recovery. 

There  is  no  household  remedy  on  the  market  that  is  equal  to 

SIMMONS  LIVER  TABLETS  OR  GINGER  SNAPS 

to  correct  these  morbid  functional  processes  and  restore  normal  action. 
They  are  so  accurately  compounded  that  while  they  hasten  the  removal 
of  waste,  they  stimulate  assimilation  and  maintain  harmony  in  the  organ- 
ism which  is  indispensible  to  health. 


RIGIN  OF  THE  3j|AnE. 

THE  UNIQUE  NAME  OF 

SIMMONS  LIVER  TABLETS  OR  GINGER  SNAPS. 


Did  not  originate  in  an  eccentric  freak  of  the  proprietor. 
They  were  widely  known  by  this  name  many  years  before 
printed  labels  or  circulars  were  prepared  and  could  not 
well  be  changed  without  causing  unavoidable  confusion. 

HOW  TO  DO  GOOD. 

Call  on  your  neighbor  who  has  sick  headache  and 
often  complains  of  constipation,  biliousness,  torpid  liver, 
weak  stomach  and  is  generally  miserable  and  don't  let  him 
or  her  rest  until  made  happy  by  the  exhilerating  effects  of 

Simmons  Liver  Tablets  or  Ginger  Snaps. 


NOTICE. 

It  is  due  the  public  to  say  that  Simmons  Liver  Tablets 
or  Ginger  Snaps  will  not  cure  all  organic  diseases  in  their 
advanced  stage;  notably  cancers  and  consumption,  but 
their  timely  use  will  prevent  organic  disintegration  by  ar- 
resting the  morbid  processes  leading  to  their  destruction. 


They  keep  the  Life  Renewing  Mechanism  Running. 

If  the  dotage  of  age  or  decline  is  creeping  upon  you  take 
Simmons  Liver  Tablets  or  Ginger  Snaps  and  stimulate 
the  renewal  of  life  and  you  will  be  surprised  at  the  happy 
results,  that  aged  and  haggard  look  and  feeling  due  to 
general  debility  will  be  replaced  by  youthful  freshness  and 
vivacity. 

A  HINT. 

Persons  who  use  Simmons  Liver  Tablets  or  Ginger 
Snaps  seldom  have  to  call  in  a  physician. 


To  the  Despondent. 

Do  not  abandon  hope  while  you  can  purchase  200 
doses  of  Simmons  Liver  Tablets  or  Ginger  Snaps  for  $1.00 
and  remove  the  physical  condition  which  makes  you  mel- 
ancholy and  miserable. 

RfcflD  THE  FOLLOWING  SPECIAL  DIRECTIONS. 

For  Constipation: — Take  i  to  6  tablets,  or  as 
many  as  may  be  required  3  times  a  day  until  action  is  es- 
tablished. Then  enough  daily  at  bed  time  to  produce  a 
free  operation  on  the  following  morning. 

For  Sick  Headache,  Vertigo  and  Dizziness:— 
Take  the  same  as  for  Constipation  and  it  will  only  be  a  ques- 
tion of  time  when  you  will  be  free  from  your  tormentor. 

For  Indigestion,  (Dyspepsia): — Take  as  many 
as  the  bowels  will  bear  immediately  before  or  after  each 
meal. 

Congestion  or  Inflamed  Liver:— Symptoms;  fulness, 
pain  and  soreness  at  the  lower  edge  of  the  ribs  on  the  right 
side. 

Take  i  to  4  tablets  every  3  hours  until  free  action  is  es- 
tablished; then  repeat  from  i  to  3  times  a  day  as  long  as 
required. 

Weakness  of  the  Kidneys  and  Bladder:— Elderly 
persons,  especially  who  are  much  disturbed  of  their  rest 
at  night  will  be  greatly  relieved  by  taking  as  many  as  the 
bowels  will  bear  at  early  bed  time. 

For  Old  Age: — Use  freely  and  postpone  its  ravages. 

Threatened  Paralysis  and  Apoplexy:— Symptoms; 
numbness,  tingling  in  the  extremities,  pain  and  dizziness  in 
the  head,  weakness,  unsteady  gait  and  loss  of  memory. 
Take  as  many  as  the  bowels  will  bear  from  i  to  3  times  a 
day. 


For  Heart  Failure,  Weakness:— Take  as  many  as 
the  bowels  will  bear  2  or  3  times  a  day  as  a  tonic  to  the 
pneumogastric  nerve  and  muscles  of  the  heart. 

In  all  Fevers: — Take  enough  daily  to  keep  the  bowels 
in  good  condition. 

For  Diarrhoea:— Take  a  tablet  every  2  hours  until 
the  discharges  are  corrected  then  2  or  3  times  a  day.  If 
chronic  take  i  from  i  to  3  times  a  day. 

For  Dysentary:— Take  2  to  5  tablets  every  3  hours 
until  natural  stools  are  produced;  then  repeat  3  times  a 
day. 

Explanation: — As  many  as  the  bowels  will  bear  means 
not  to  exceed  two  or  three  operations  daily. 

Containing  no  mercury,  Simmons  Liver  Tablets  or  Gin- 
ger Snaps  may  be  taken  by  persons  of  all  ages  and  condi- 
tions for  an  indefinate  period  without  injury.  Children  must 
take  less  in  proportion  to  age. 

Call  for  Simmons  Liver  Tablets  or  Ginger  Snaps  and  re- 
fuse all  substitutes  as  there  is  no  similar  remedy  on  the 
market  that  can  be  safely  employed  in  their  stead. 

For  Sale  by  all  Druggists,  or  sent 
by  Mail  on  receipt  of  Price. 


SINCLE  BOX   KOR   25   CENTS, 
Five  Boxes  for  $1.00. 


ADDRESS, 

,V.  SIMMONS,  M.  D., 

Lawrence,  Kansas. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

HEROESAND  HEROINES  OF  THE  FORT  DEARBORN 


30112025385367 


